Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC

Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC decreased its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 5.2% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 2,639 shares of the company’s stock after selling 145 shares during the quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $451,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $169.75 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.93, a P/E/G ratio of 6.17 and a beta of 0.29. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $164.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $165.63.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.07 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Barclays upped their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $158.84.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.