Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Sold by Heartland Advisors Inc.

Heartland Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 9.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 97,178 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,006 shares during the period. Hershey accounts for about 1.0% of Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $17,684,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HSY. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 123.0% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $176.93 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $160.07 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $192.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $198.75. The firm has a market cap of $35.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.09.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.09 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.19%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total transaction of $291,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,198,599.50. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Hershey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $218.06.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.