Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Shares Acquired by Money Concepts Capital Corp

Money Concepts Capital Corp increased its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 14.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,869 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the period. Money Concepts Capital Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $833,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $292,000. Old North State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. Old North State Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 840 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $460,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Hershey by 3.4% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $942,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 193,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $167.09 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $33.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.60, a PEG ratio of 6.10 and a beta of 0.29. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $164.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 67.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup lowered their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.