SG Americas Securities LLC Has $25.07 Million Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 311.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 130,746 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 98,968 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned 0.06% of Hershey worth $25,074,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 14.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,372,965,000 after buying an additional 2,158,912 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,487,565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $289,327,000 after acquiring an additional 90,329 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 787,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,743,000 after purchasing an additional 25,780 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 23.2% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 783,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,962,000 after purchasing an additional 147,215 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Asset Management Inc. now owns 781,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,715,000 after purchasing an additional 112,304 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Argus lowered Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Bank of America cut their price target on Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $198.63.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,531,729.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, 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 available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly 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 currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $190.99 on Friday. 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 Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $178.82 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $38.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.93, a PEG ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $196.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.92.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

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 2.87%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.