Emerald Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 1,607 Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Emerald Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,607 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $275,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Capital International Investors grew its position in Hershey by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,110,126,000 after acquiring an additional 2,980,997 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 18,311.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,010,616 shares of the company's stock worth $1,728,460,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005,127 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $80,978,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 38.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company's stock worth $275,710,000 after purchasing an additional 453,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company's stock worth $785,003,000 after purchasing an additional 247,675 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $167.09 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.60, a PEG 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $164.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.07 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share 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 dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. Citigroup reduced 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. Mizuho reduced their price target on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Barclays boosted their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Five 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.

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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