HBW Advisory Services LLC Buys 2,038 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

HBW Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 14.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,015 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,038 shares during the quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $2,739,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock worth $762,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.6% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,768 shares of the company's stock worth $473,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company's stock worth $549,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $939,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Hershey by 42.5% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 238 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY traded up $1.25 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $162.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,401,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,778,120. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03. 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $163.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $166.03. The stock has a market cap of $32.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.93, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The firm's revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.07 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 3.37%. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Bernstein Bank lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

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.