The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stock Holdings Increased by Alerus Financial NA

Alerus Financial NA lifted its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY – Get Rating) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,360 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the quarter. Alerus Financial NA’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,424,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Addison Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its position in Hershey by 50.4% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 173 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. 52.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Shares of HSY stock traded down $0.47 on Wednesday, hitting $212.98. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 12,461 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,109,605. The stock has a market capitalization of $323.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.35. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $167.80 and a fifty-two week high of $231.60. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $219.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $202.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.56.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 28th. The company reported $2.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.10 by $0.43. Hershey had a return on equity of 61.65% and a net margin of 17.29%. The company had revenue of $2.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.92 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 8.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.901 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 19th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.27%.

In other Hershey news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 150 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.75, for a total value of $33,712.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 16,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,700,958.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.75, for a total transaction of $1,123,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 190,555 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $42,827,236.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,760 shares of company stock worth $2,607,388 over the last quarter. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Several research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Friday, April 29th. Credit Suisse Group increased their price target on Hershey from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 7th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, March 30th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $226.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Argus raised shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $224.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, February 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $218.40.

Hershey Profile (Get Rating)

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; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, meat snacks, bars and snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and protein bars.

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