136,580 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Purchased by Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 136,580 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,565,000. Hershey accounts for about 1.2% of Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 125.3% in the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 1.2 %

HSY traded up $2.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $188.94. The stock had a trading volume of 1,146,429 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,607,415. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.97. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $193.01 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.32. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $248.93.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 50.15% and a net margin of 18.13%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.96 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. BNP Paribas lowered Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Edward Jones reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Argus lowered their price objective on Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $209.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total value of $274,395.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 35,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,535,723.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $859,950 in the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Company 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.