Lido Advisors LLC Buys 4,661 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Lido Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 232.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,665 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,661 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,129,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $762,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A boosted its position in Hershey by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $549,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $939,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 42.5% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $921,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $163.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $33.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.96, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $168.70 and its 200-day moving average is $169.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.07 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $160.45.

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.