Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Sold by Davis R M Inc.

Davis R M Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 31.1% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,864 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,102 shares during the quarter. Davis R M Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,427,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $9,633,000. Prudential PLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 237.3% during the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 7,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after purchasing an additional 5,620 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial grew its position in shares of Hershey by 38,266.7% during the 4th quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 5,755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 5,740 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $2,744,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of Hershey by 126.4% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 84,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,508,000 after buying an additional 47,017 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total value of $260,145.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays lowered their price target on Hershey from $220.00 to $208.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $204.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. 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 data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $208.28.

Hershey News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Hershey is set to report quarterly earnings soon, but UBS said the Q2 print is unlikely to be a meaningful catalyst in either direction, implying limited near-term upside from the report. Hershey Q2 Print Unlikely to Be Meaningful Catalyst, UBS Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts and market commentary pieces say Hershey does not currently have a strong setup for an earnings beat, keeping expectations muted ahead of the report. Hershey (HSY) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays reiterated a Hold rating on HSY, while Stifel cut its price target from $215 to $180 and also moved to Hold, reinforcing a cautious analyst stance. Barclays Sticks to Its Hold Rating for The Hershey Company (HSY)
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent article warned that HSY looks risky after losing ground over the past six months, with shares lagging the broader market, which may be adding to investor caution. 3 Reasons HSY is Risky and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

Hershey Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $172.31 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $180.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $196.94. 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 Company has a 12-month low of $161.43 and a 12-month high of $239.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 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 business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.09 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Hershey Company 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.