The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Valeo Financial Advisors LLC

Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lessened its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 3.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,207 shares of the company’s stock after selling 375 shares during the quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,149,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 218.2% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.8 %

Hershey stock opened at $185.98 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $193.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.61 billion, a PE ratio of 18.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $178.82 and a 12-month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.01 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on HSY. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $179.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Argus lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Citigroup lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $197.90.

Insider Activity at Hershey

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. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.