Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA Invests $54,000 in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Comprehensive Financial Planning Inc. PA purchased a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted 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 buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, City State Bank grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $165.05.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $154.52 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.18, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $164.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. 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 earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Sell-side analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.55%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 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.