1,654 Shares in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Acquired by Bingham Private Wealth LLC

Bingham Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $283,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of HSY. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of Hershey by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,110,126,000 after buying an additional 2,980,997 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company’s stock worth $642,139,000 after buying an additional 47,394 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $275,710,000 after purchasing an additional 453,428 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,396,000 after purchasing an additional 154,238 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,282,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,222,000 after buying an additional 87,498 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of a number of research reports. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 6th. Barclays increased their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $227,500.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,431,175. This represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 54,107 shares of company stock valued at $9,008,118 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $171.26 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $165.40 and its 200-day moving average is $164.62. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company has a market cap of $34.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.12, a PEG ratio of 6.41 and a beta of 0.30.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.07 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

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.