3,669 Shares in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Bought by Stratos Investment Management LLC

Stratos Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,669 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $628,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 28,875 shares of the company's stock worth $4,938,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the last quarter. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the first quarter worth $43,000. Fullcircle Wealth LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 16.0% in the first quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC now owns 4,678 shares of the company's stock worth $763,000 after purchasing an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. Pacific Point Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Pacific Point Advisors LLC now owns 9,356 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,600,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Counselors Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 6,881 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on HSY. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.84.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $3,375,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,884,200. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 54,107 shares of company stock worth $9,008,118. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded down $7.59 on Wednesday, reaching $162.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,520,605 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,805,189. The company has a market capitalization of $32.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.02, a PEG ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 0.30. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $165.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $164.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.07 EPS. The company's revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

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.