Czech National Bank Purchases 1,952 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Czech National Bank grew its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 6.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 30,082 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,952 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Hershey were worth $5,769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 218.2% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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 value 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $187.59 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $195.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $193.59. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a market cap of $37.94 billion, a PE ratio of 18.53, a PEG 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.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued 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 company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.01 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.92%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on Hershey from $204.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Argus downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America cut their price objective 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Hershey from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $184.00 to $163.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $197.90.

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.