Andra AP fonden Raises Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Andra AP fonden increased its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 36.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,000 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,900 shares during the quarter. Andra AP fonden’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,044,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $683,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 486 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 1,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $198.62 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $40.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.68, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $213.85. 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 fifty day simple moving average is $194.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $193.52.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.01 earnings per share. Analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.31%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’s 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 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 can be accessed through this link. In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HSY. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed 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. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.21.

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.