Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Dearborn Partners LLC

Dearborn Partners LLC decreased its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 10.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,234 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,665 shares during the quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $5,513,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company's stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the company's stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,189 shares of the company's stock worth $1,179,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business'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 owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 99,021 shares of company stock worth $17,189,088 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $2.56 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $188.79. 3,008,985 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,733,619. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company has a market cap of $38.25 billion, a PE ratio of 23.28, a P/E/G ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.30. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $169.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.68. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.27 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.90%. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on HSY. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 6th. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $161.74.

Hershey Company 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.