The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Purchased by Brookstone Capital Management

Brookstone Capital Management raised its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,912 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 805 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during 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. bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, City State Bank boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 210.0% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $183.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $182.21.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock opened at $151.75 on Thursday. 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 $30.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $173.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $185.04. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $150.31 and a 52 week high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

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.