GAMMA Investing LLC Has $777,000 Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 33.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,054 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,005 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $777,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of HSY. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 14.2% in the first 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 grew its holdings in Hershey by 297.9% in the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,959,000 after purchasing an additional 537,419 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter worth $82,123,000. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 3,404.3% in the first quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 256,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,879,000 after purchasing an additional 249,129 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in Hershey by 1,194.0% in the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 249,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,837,000 after purchasing an additional 230,077 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $187.60 on Wednesday. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $196.32 and a 200 day simple moving average of $193.71. 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 company has a market capitalization of $37.94 billion, a PE ratio of 18.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.01 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on HSY. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $184.00 to $163.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Argus lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $204.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $197.90.

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.