The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) CAO Sells $107,153.46 in Stock

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Hershey Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $196.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $39.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.36. The business’s fifty day moving average is $190.30 and its 200-day moving average is $193.28. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $178.82 and a 1 year high of $222.27.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.01 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,372,965,000 after acquiring an additional 2,158,912 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $349,448,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 297.9% in the 2nd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,959,000 after purchasing an additional 537,419 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $82,123,000. Finally, Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 3,404.3% during the 1st quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 256,447 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,879,000 after buying an additional 249,129 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HSY. Argus cut shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Hershey from $192.00 to $191.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.47.

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.