The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) CFO Sells $306,810.00 in Stock

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.54, for a total transaction of $306,810.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 37,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,614,615.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY traded down $4.04 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $197.00. The stock had a trading volume of 1,870,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,934,258. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.92, a PEG ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $195.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $192.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.97. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $263.38.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.33. Hershey had a net margin of 18.13% and a return on equity of 50.15%. The company had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.96 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $191.00 to $183.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Edward Jones reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $213.06.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Hershey during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Highlander Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 125.3% during the fourth quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.