Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. Has $1.76 Million Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc. lowered its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,548 shares of the company’s stock after selling 181 shares during the period. Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 218.2% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 55.0% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,538 shares of company stock worth $667,793 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Argus downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Barclays cut their price objective on Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Piper Sandler reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $179.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.21.

Hershey Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $195.52 on Friday. 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 Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $212.14. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $196.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $193.95. The firm has a market cap of $39.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.38, a PEG ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.01 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

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.