Peoples Bank KS Buys Shares of 2,500 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Peoples Bank KS acquired a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 2,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $479,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,083,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 311.4% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 130,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,074,000 after purchasing an additional 98,968 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its position in Hershey by 6.9% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 30,082 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,769,000 after buying an additional 1,952 shares during the period. JLB & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 53.5% in the 3rd quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. now owns 64,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,414,000 after buying an additional 22,562 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Appleton Partners Inc. MA raised its stake in Hershey by 1.2% during the third quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA now owns 28,815 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,526,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $286,245.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through 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 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 $644,912.46. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hershey Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $0.85 during trading on Friday, hitting $191.84. The stock had a trading volume of 794,149 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,714,381. 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 has a market capitalization of $38.80 billion, a PE ratio of 18.93, a P/E/G ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $178.82 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $196.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $193.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released 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). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.01 EPS. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 54.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $179.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, June 21st. Citigroup cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Hershey from $204.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $198.63.

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.