2,500 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Purchased by Peoples Bank KS

Peoples Bank KS acquired a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $479,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 218.2% in 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 period. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Hershey in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY traded up $0.85 on Friday, reaching $191.84. The stock had a trading volume of 794,149 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,714,381. 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 has a market cap of $38.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $196.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $193.92. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $178.82 and a 12-month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $184.00 to $163.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $198.63.

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.