The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) CAO Jennifer Mccalman Sells 974 Shares

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $160.65 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $163.95 and its 200-day moving average is $166.24. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.74, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on HSY. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Bernstein Bank dropped their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $158.84.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jacobi Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 31.9% during the first quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 8,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,377,000 after buying an additional 1,948 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the company’s stock valued at $846,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares during the period. Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 56.3% in the 1st quarter. Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC now owns 117,912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,166,000 after purchasing an additional 42,488 shares during the period. WBI Investments LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at $2,674,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in Hershey by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 227,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,954,000 after purchasing an additional 20,673 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.