SNS Financial Group LLC Purchases 228 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

SNS Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 3.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,574 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. SNS Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,209,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HSY. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 14.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,372,965,000 after purchasing an additional 2,158,912 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $349,448,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 6.5% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,487,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,327,000 after acquiring an additional 90,329 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Asset Management Inc. now owns 781,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,715,000 after acquiring an additional 112,304 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Hershey by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 777,761 shares of the company’s stock valued at $145,006,000 after purchasing an additional 19,018 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $0.77 on Friday, reaching $196.33. 946,237 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,813,594. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $219.92. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $191.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $193.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.36.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.01 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. 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. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Hershey from $192.00 to $191.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America lowered their price target on Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Two equities 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, 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 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.