Northstar Advisory Group LLC Boosts Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Northstar Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 153.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,182 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,740 shares during the quarter. Northstar Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,136,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,372,965,000 after acquiring an additional 2,158,912 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $349,448,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 297.9% in the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,959,000 after acquiring an additional 537,419 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $49,879,000 after acquiring an additional 249,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 98.4% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 419,947 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,680,000 after purchasing an additional 208,293 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’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 value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was 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 $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $3.27 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $196.33. The stock had a trading volume of 340,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,785,797. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $192.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $193.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.86. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $178.82 and a 1-year high of $214.66.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The company’s revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.01 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 54.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on HSY. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $192.00 to $191.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $202.79.

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.