1,708 Shares in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Bought by Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC

Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,708 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $292,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Old North State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 27.7% in the first quarter. Old North State Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $665,000 after acquiring an additional 840 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.4% in the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company’s stock worth $460,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in Hershey by 26.2% during the first quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 962 shares of the company’s stock worth $165,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $942,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 1,266.3% in the 1st quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 214,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,777,000 after acquiring an additional 199,073 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE:HSY opened at $167.00 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03. The firm has a market cap of $33.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.12 and a beta of 0.29. 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 fifty day moving average price of $164.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.24.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.07 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.28%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Citigroup cut their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.84.

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.