The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. trimmed its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 15.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,546 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,023 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,020,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 218.2% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Down 1.1 %

HSY opened at $195.52 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $212.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $196.17 and its 200-day moving average is $193.95. The company has a market capitalization of $39.54 billion, a PE ratio of 19.38, a P/E/G ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.01 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.31%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total transaction of $274,395.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,535,723.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total transaction of $274,395.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,535,723.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.21.

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.