Clark & Stuart Inc Has $1.40 Million Stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Clark & Stuart Inc grew its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 111.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,180 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,320 shares during the period. Hershey comprises 1.0% of Clark & Stuart Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Clark & Stuart Inc’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,399,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 96.8% in the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,281 shares of the company’s stock worth $219,000 after buying an additional 630 shares during the last quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the first quarter worth approximately $273,000. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 39.5% in the first quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC now owns 5,891 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,008,000 after buying an additional 1,668 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 8.1% in the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 18,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,186,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in Hershey by 2.2% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 21,510 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,678,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.5%

HSY opened at $169.75 on Friday. 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 has a market capitalization of $34.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.93, a P/E/G ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.29. The business has a 50 day moving average of $164.32 and a 200-day moving average of $165.57.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.07 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on HSY. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group decreased their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $31,134,739.20. The trade was a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.