The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by American Trust

American Trust lowered its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 6.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,999 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,652 shares during the period. American Trust’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,228,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $324,000. Cim LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.8% in the second quarter. Cim LLC now owns 10,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,030,000 after acquiring an additional 655 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth about $5,031,000. Clear Rock Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 12.8% during the second quarter. Clear Rock Advisors LLC now owns 8,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,573,000 after purchasing an additional 968 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 319.1% in the second quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 16,085 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,957,000 after purchasing an additional 12,247 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, August 12th. They set a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Argus cut shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $184.00 to $163.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $198.63.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at $6,531,729.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $644,912.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.1 %

Hershey stock opened at $191.89 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $196.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $193.94. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $38.81 billion, a PE ratio of 19.02, a P/E/G ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.01 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.31%.

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.