The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by PFG Advisors

PFG Advisors trimmed its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 7.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,502 shares of the company’s stock after selling 525 shares during the period. PFG Advisors’ holdings in Hershey were worth $1,195,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 218.2% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter worth about $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 1.2 %

NYSE HSY opened at $200.83 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $195.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.64. 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 twelve month low of $178.82 and a twelve month high of $213.85. The stock has a market cap of $40.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.90, a PEG ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.01 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Argus cut shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their price target on Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, 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 value 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’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 value of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 3,538 shares of company stock worth $667,793. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.