Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 83,479 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,383 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $14,277,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on HSY. Citigroup cut their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen raised Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Mizuho cut their target price 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, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $158.84.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1%

Hershey stock traded up $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $167.09. 2,471,516 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,791,449. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $33.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.10 and a beta of 0.29. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The business's 50-day moving average price is $164.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $165.01.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.28%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

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.