Sei Investments Co. Increases Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 165.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 206,972 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 128,950 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned 0.10% of Hershey worth $43,028,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of HSY. Syon Capital LLC raised its position in Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abacus Planning Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1%

HSY opened at $174.43 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $196.90. The company has a market capitalization of $35.38 billion, a PE ratio of 32.48, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $161.43 and a 1-year high of $239.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.09 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 108.19%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total value of $260,145.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 54,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,485,753.85. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Hershey from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $208.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $208.28.

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.