Pollock Investment Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 5,750 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Pollock Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 5,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $974,000. Hershey makes up about 0.8% of Pollock Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, City State Bank grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 210.0% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $163.75.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $170.32 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.63, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $162.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $175.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

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.