Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors Has $344,000 Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors lessened its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,872 shares of the company’s stock after selling 280 shares during the quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors’ holdings in Hershey were worth $344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HSY. AJOVista LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $153,000. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,263.3% during the fourth quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 15,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,816,000 after purchasing an additional 13,997 shares during the period. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $2,332,000. CreativeOne Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 179.4% during the first quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 6,958 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,353,000 after buying an additional 4,468 shares during the period. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its holdings in Hershey by 78,757.1% during the fourth quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 5,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,029,000 after acquiring an additional 5,513 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY traded up $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $195.65. 238,091 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,809,250. The company has a market cap of $39.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $178.82 and a 1 year high of $219.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $190.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $193.29.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.01 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 54.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Argus lowered Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased 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 Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, 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 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 $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, 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 directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total value of $274,395.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 35,728 shares in the company, valued at $6,535,723.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.34% 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.