The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stock Position Raised by Creative Planning

Creative Planning lifted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 13.3% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 63,030 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,382 shares during the quarter. Creative Planning’s holdings in Hershey were worth $11,587,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 218.2% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were 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 owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $179.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Argus downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $198.63.

Hershey Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $191.89 on Wednesday. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $178.82 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The company has a market cap of $38.81 billion, a PE ratio of 19.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $196.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $193.94.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.01 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.86%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.