Peterson Wealth Services Acquires 9,557 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Peterson Wealth Services increased its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 47,785.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,577 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,557 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Services’ holdings in Hershey were worth $1,791,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Choreo LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $283,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 12.3% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 567 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its position in Hershey by 8.4% during the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 46.3% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 367 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $197.84 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $187.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $184.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.57 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $201.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $214.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $213.00 price objective on Hershey and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $194.32.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Stacy Taffet bought 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,119,450 over the last three months. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.