1,544 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Bought by MQS Management LLC

MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 1,544 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $284,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,372,965,000 after purchasing an additional 2,158,912 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 297.9% during the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,959,000 after buying an additional 537,419 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $82,123,000. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 3,404.3% in the 1st quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 256,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,879,000 after acquiring an additional 249,129 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1,194.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 249,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,837,000 after acquiring an additional 230,077 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, 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 this link. In other Hershey news, 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 transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total value of $274,395.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,535,723.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,538 shares of company stock worth $667,793. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America lowered their price target on Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Argus downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.21.

Hershey Price Performance

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

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.01 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.31%.

About Hershey

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.