The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 51.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 55,623 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 18,838 shares during the quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $9,214,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Hershey by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock worth $2,110,126,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980,997 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 5.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company's stock worth $642,139,000 after purchasing an additional 47,394 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 38.6% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Hershey by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company's stock worth $267,396,000 after purchasing an additional 154,238 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Barclays increased their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Hershey Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of HSY traded down $3.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $169.06. 1,834,351 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,795,971. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $208.03. The firm's fifty day moving average is $163.77 and its 200-day moving average is $165.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.29.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.07 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. 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 value of $153,025.14. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.