Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC Purchases 3,329 Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 19.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 20,834 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,329 shares during the quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $3,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 129.5% in the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock traded down $2.49 during trading on Monday, hitting $184.63. The company had a trading volume of 1,533,271 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,865,855. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $167.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $165.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $37.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.77, a P/E/G ratio of 7.05 and a beta of 0.30. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business's revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.07 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $900,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 61,319 shares in the company, valued at $11,037,420. This trade represents a 7.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 99,021 shares of company stock valued at $17,189,088. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on HSY shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 6th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $160.68.

Hershey 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.