Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Stock Holdings Increased by Axxcess Wealth Management LLC

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 12.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,160 shares of the company's stock after acquiring 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 reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,333 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $233,275.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 39,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,895,350. The trade was a 3.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,107 shares of company stock valued at $9,008,118. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $0.52 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $164.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 590,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,804,840. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $165.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $164.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59. The firm has a market cap of $33.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.26, a P/E/G ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.30.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.07 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.57%.

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.