Clark & Stuart Inc Increases Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Clark & Stuart Inc increased its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 111.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,180 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,320 shares during the quarter. Hershey accounts for 1.0% of Clark & Stuart Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Clark & Stuart Inc's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,399,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of HSY stock traded up $1.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $171.70. 4,188,543 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,800,969. The company's 50-day moving average price is $164.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $165.57. The company has a market cap of $34.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a P/E/G ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 period last year, the company posted $3.07 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were paid 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 3.19%. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target 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. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Mizuho dropped 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. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. The trade was a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.