Brookstone Capital Management Buys 544 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Brookstone Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,107 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 544 shares during the quarter. Brookstone Capital Management’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,938,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 55.0% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter worth about $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $185.96 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $37.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.43, a PEG ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $193.55. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $178.82 and a 1-year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.01 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Citigroup downgraded Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Argus downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $184.00 to $163.00 in a report on Thursday, September 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $197.90.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The trade was 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 corporate insiders.

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.