Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Buys New Holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has acquired a new position in Hershey Company, purchasing 2,756 shares valued at approximately $471,000 during the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors have shown increased interest in Hershey, with notable investments including a new stake from Montag & Caldwell LLC and significant increases in existing positions by others.
• Hershey recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.9%, set to be paid on September 15th.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $471,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Montag & Caldwell LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its position in Hershey by 129.5% during the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Hershey from $135.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Barclays raised their target price on Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $168.37.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the firm'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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $227,500.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 118,311 shares of company stock worth $20,931,348. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $188.70 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $38.23 billion, a PE ratio of 25.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $170.58 and a 200 day moving average of $166.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.27 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 72.78%.

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.

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