Salvus Wealth Management LLC Acquires Shares of 1,656 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Salvus Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,656 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $280,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Hershey by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after acquiring an additional 389,404 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in Hershey by 61.9% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,052,000 after acquiring an additional 45,936 shares during the period. Pensionfund Sabic raised its stake in Hershey by 55.6% during the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,423,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $654,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $183.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $168.00 to $153.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $177.47.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $154.13 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $172.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $184.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $31.19 billion, a PE ratio of 17.76, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $150.31 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.13%.

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.