Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Purchases 2,157 Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 12.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,160 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,157 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $3,277,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $227,500.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 54,107 shares of company stock worth $9,008,118 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $2.65 during trading on Thursday, reaching $164.60. 2,135,219 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,809,646. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. The company has a market cap of $33.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.30, a PEG ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 0.30. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $165.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.83.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.07 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $158.84.

Hershey Company 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.