2,547 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Acquired by Advisors Preferred LLC

Advisors Preferred LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,547 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $430,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 23.3% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in Hershey by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 4,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $792,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its position in Hershey by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Wealth Management boosted its position in Hershey by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 6,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,152,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 1.7 %

HSY opened at $154.98 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $164.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $31.36 billion, a PE ratio of 14.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. As a group, research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.54%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on HSY. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Friday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.35.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.