Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Boosts Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1,194.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 249,347 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 230,077 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV owned about 0.12% of Hershey worth $45,837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 10.0% during the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 320,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,951,000 after buying an additional 29,246 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 179.4% during the first quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 6,958 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,353,000 after buying an additional 4,468 shares during the period. Prudential PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 100,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,660,000 after purchasing an additional 17,890 shares during the period. Bridgefront Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $972,000. Finally, Oak Harvest Investment Services purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the first quarter worth about $5,383,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’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 transaction 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, 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 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $199.28 on Wednesday. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week high of $213.72. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $193.91. The company has a market capitalization of $40.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.75, a P/E/G ratio of 5.77 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. Hershey’s revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. Analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.21.

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.