The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stock Holdings Decreased by DRH Investments Inc.

DRH Investments Inc. lessened its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 54,151 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,807 shares during the period. Hershey accounts for approximately 10.8% of DRH Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. DRH Investments Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $9,955,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,372,965,000 after purchasing an additional 2,158,912 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,487,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $289,327,000 after buying an additional 90,329 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Hershey by 3.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 787,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,743,000 after buying an additional 25,780 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 23.2% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 783,128 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,962,000 after buying an additional 147,215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Asset Management Inc. now owns 781,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,715,000 after acquiring an additional 112,304 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 21st. 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 report on Tuesday, June 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Argus downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.21.

Hershey Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $195.23 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $196.30 and its 200 day moving average is $194.03. The stock has a market cap of $39.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly 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). Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.01 EPS. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.81%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total transaction of $274,395.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 35,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,535,723.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total value 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,538 shares of company stock worth $667,793. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.