PVG Asset Management Corp Makes New $288,000 Investment in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

PVG Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,701 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $288,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on HSY shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Bernstein Bank reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $162.15.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY traded down $2.31 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $155.92. The stock had a trading volume of 1,248,391 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,786,645. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.30, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $164.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.70. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.07 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.57%.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; protein bars; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.