JLB & Associates Inc. Has $12.41 Million Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

JLB & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 53.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 64,731 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 22,562 shares during the quarter. Hershey makes up 1.6% of JLB & Associates Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. JLB & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $12,414,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 55.0% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 13.3% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 486 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after buying an additional 59 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, 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 transaction of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the sale, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at $6,531,729.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 21st. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $198.63.

Hershey Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $193.41 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $39.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a PEG ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37. The business’s 50 day moving average is $196.49 and its 200 day moving average is $193.94. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $178.82 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The business’s revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.01 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 54.31%.

Hershey 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.