Hendley & Co. Inc. Has $4.55 Million Holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Hendley & Co. Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 17.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,603 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,773 shares during the quarter. Hershey makes up 1.6% of Hendley & Co. Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Hendley & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,550,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its position in Hershey by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company's stock valued at $460,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in 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 during the period. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 3.0% during the first quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 2,407 shares of the company's stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company's stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $227,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,175. This represents a 4.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of Hershey 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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 54,107 shares of company stock valued at $9,008,118. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded down $4.08 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $173.00. The stock had a trading volume of 733,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,796,402. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $164.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 0.30.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm 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%. Hershey's revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.07 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HSY. Wall Street Zen cut Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. DA Davidson increased their target price on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $158.84.

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.