Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC Makes New Investment in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,542 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $467,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 218.2% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $193.06 on Friday. 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 Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $219.92. The firm has a market cap of $39.05 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $192.13 and its 200-day moving average is $193.17.

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). The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. Hershey’s revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.01 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They set a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $202.79.

Insider Activity

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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’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 owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793 in the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.