The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stock Position Increased by CX Institutional

CX Institutional boosted its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,442 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the quarter. CX Institutional’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,427,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Integrated Advisors Network LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 1,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $421,000 after buying an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $816,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $564,000. Finally, CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,816 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,715,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock opened at $184.81 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $194.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $193.33. The company has a market cap of $37.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37. 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 Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 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 company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.01 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.47 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Argus downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of 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. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $195.00.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,531,729.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 currently owned by insiders.

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.