The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado decreased its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,767 shares of the company’s stock after selling 362 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 96 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 55.0% during 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 first quarter worth about $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Hershey

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

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $195.43 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.37. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $196.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $194.08. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.01 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Argus lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $200.72.

Hershey Company 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.