Callahan Advisors LLC Has $2.71 Million Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Callahan Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 796.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,856 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,087 shares during the period. Callahan Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $2,712,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital International Investors grew its position in Hershey by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock worth $2,110,126,000 after buying an additional 2,980,997 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $642,139,000 after acquiring an additional 47,394 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 38.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,710,000 after buying an additional 453,428 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Hershey by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company's stock worth $267,396,000 after purchasing an additional 154,238 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Hershey by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,282,681 shares of the company's stock worth $217,222,000 after buying an additional 87,498 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY opened at $164.60 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $165.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $164.80. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $33.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.30, a PEG ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.30.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 business posted $3.07 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm 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 of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 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 $3,375,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,884,200. The trade was a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 54,107 shares of company stock worth $9,008,118. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. 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 target 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. Sanford C. Bernstein increased 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. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, May 2nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

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.

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