The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Purchased by LaFleur & Godfrey LLC

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC grew its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 46,708 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,578 shares during the quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $7,910,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HSY. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Hershey by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,348,127,000 after purchasing an additional 386,670 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $841,476,000 after buying an additional 109,336 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,753,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,606,000 after acquiring an additional 35,688 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after acquiring an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 3.2% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 964,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,027,000 after acquiring an additional 29,507 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $152.82 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $171.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $184.39. The company has a market capitalization of $30.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $150.31 and a 1-year high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. UBS Group cut their price objective on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on Hershey from $168.00 to $153.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $176.42.

Hershey 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.