ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC Buys 348 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,049 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $516,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at $46,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, City State Bank boosted its stake in Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 2.3 %

NYSE HSY opened at $151.75 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $185.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $150.31 and a one year high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Hershey from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $182.21.

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.