Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Shares Acquired by Wealth Alliance LLC

Wealth Alliance LLC lifted its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 197.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,001 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,658 shares during the quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $684,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 2,980,997 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 18,311.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,010,616 shares of the company's stock worth $1,728,460,000 after buying an additional 1,005,127 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 453,428 shares during the last quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,266.3% in the first quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 214,794 shares of the company's stock worth $36,777,000 after buying an additional 199,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $27,902,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $171.26 on Monday. Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a market cap of $34.70 billion, a PE ratio of 21.12, a P/E/G ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 0.30. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $165.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $164.59.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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 3.20%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. UBS Group lowered 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. Citigroup lowered 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. DA Davidson increased 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. Mizuho lowered their price target on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered 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 issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $3,375,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,884,200. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,333 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $233,275.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 39,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,895,350. This trade represents a 3.27% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 54,107 shares of company stock worth $9,008,118 in the last three months. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HSY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.