Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Shares Acquired by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. grew its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 6.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,881 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 430 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,177,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $169.98 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $165.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $164.85. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03. The company has a market cap of $34.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.96, a PEG ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced 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. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The firm 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 earned $3.07 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 67.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HSY. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group cut their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Six investment 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, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $227,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 25,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $3,375,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,884,200. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 54,107 shares of company stock valued at $9,008,118. Company insiders own 0.28% 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.