Hershey (NYSE:HSY) CFO Sells $260,145.00 in Stock

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were 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 in the company, 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 SEC, which is available through this link.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY traded down $1.53 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $171.10. 3,287,738 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,044,615. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $188.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $198.31. The firm has a market cap of $34.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.09. Hershey Company has a one year low of $160.07 and a one year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.09 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 108.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.06.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Syon Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $559,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.