NEOS Investment Management LLC Buys 1,238 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

NEOS Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 25.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,073 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,238 shares during the quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,028,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew 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 buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HSY. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group cut their price target on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $162.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $169.87 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $164.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.84. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released 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 return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.