HB Wealth Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 16.9% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,191 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 606 shares during the quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $717,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of Hershey by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,110,126,000 after acquiring an additional 2,980,997 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 18,311.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,010,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,728,460,000 after acquiring an additional 1,005,127 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 6,721.3% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 819,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,150,000 after acquiring an additional 807,433 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 38.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,710,000 after acquiring an additional 453,428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1,266.3% in the 1st quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 214,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,777,000 after acquiring an additional 199,073 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of HSY stock opened at $188.79 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $165.68. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.28, a P/E/G ratio of 4.61 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 Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.27 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.90%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $900,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 61,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,037,420. This trade represents a 7.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,175. This represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 99,021 shares of company stock worth $17,189,088 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen lowered Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $161.74.

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.