The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Purchased by First Hawaiian Bank

First Hawaiian Bank grew its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 21.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,600 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 644 shares during the quarter. First Hawaiian Bank’s holdings in Hershey were worth $700,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 125.3% during the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $182.14 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $36.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.37. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $194.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $192.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $178.82 and a 12-month high of $261.58.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.33. Hershey had a net margin of 18.13% and a return on equity of 50.15%. The company had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.01%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas cut shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Edward Jones reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Barclays lowered their target price on Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Argus cut their price target on Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $209.67.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total value of $278,745.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 38,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,824.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $882,405. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.