Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group Increases Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group lifted its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 26.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,331 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 491 shares during the period. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group’s holdings in Hershey were worth $435,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. PFS Investments Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. PFS Investments Inc. now owns 1,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Cassia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $335,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 3,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $792,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA boosted its stake in Hershey by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 14,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,853,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.8 %

HSY traded up $1.54 on Thursday, reaching $183.99. 668,128 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,974,050. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $192.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.11. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $276.88. The company has a market cap of $37.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.16, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.52.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.07. Hershey had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 51.79%. The firm had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.02 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.98%. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 60.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on HSY. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Hershey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $235.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $223.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total value of $296,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 40,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,961,121.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Charles R. Raup sold 2,065 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.85, for a total transaction of $396,170.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,833,624.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total transaction of $296,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 40,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,961,121.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,518 shares of company stock valued at $1,066,414 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.