WR Wealth Planners LLC Purchases 104 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

WR Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,019 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $342,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its position in Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, City State Bank boosted its position in Hershey by 210.0% during 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 own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bernstein Bank dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.15.

Hershey Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $172.68 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $160.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.32. The company has a market capitalization of $34.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.84, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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 $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

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.