Dean Capital Management Acquires Shares of 13,793 Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Dean Capital Management acquired 13,793 Hershey shares worth approximately $2.87 million, making HSY its 18th-largest holding and representing about 1.2% of its portfolio. Institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of the stock.
• Hershey exceeded first-quarter expectations, reporting $2.35 in EPS versus the $2.04 consensus and $3.10 billion in revenue, up 10.7% year over year. The company’s annualized dividend is $5.81 per share, yielding about 3.3%.
• HSY shares opened at $174.43, well below the analyst consensus target of $208.28. Despite seven Buy ratings, sixteen analysts rate the stock Hold, producing an overall consensus rating of Hold.

Dean Capital Management bought a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 13,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,867,000. Hershey makes up about 1.2% of Dean Capital Management's portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 123.0% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY opened at $174.43 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.38 billion, a PE ratio of 32.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business's 50-day moving average is $180.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $196.90. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $161.43 and a 1 year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.31. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.09 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 108.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. DA Davidson upgraded shares of Hershey to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $208.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, April 13th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $208.28.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total value of $260,145.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,695 shares in the company, valued at $9,485,753.85. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company NYSE: HSY is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey's business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey's product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.

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