Brookstone Capital Management Purchases 57,916 Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Brookstone Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 530.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,828 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 57,916 shares during the quarter. Brookstone Capital Management's holdings in Hershey were worth $11,772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its position in shares of Hershey by 2.4% during the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company's stock worth $460,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp raised its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,768 shares of the company's stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 2,407 shares of the company's stock worth $412,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company's stock worth $549,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday. Mizuho lowered their price target on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $158.84.

Hershey Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $0.85 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $175.62. The company had a trading volume of 1,548,854 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,795,411. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.81. The company has a market capitalization of $35.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 0.30. Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.07 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,333 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $233,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 39,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,895,350. The trade was a 3.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 54,107 shares of company stock worth $9,008,118. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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.