CapWealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 2.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 66,113 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,758 shares during the quarter. CapWealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $11,307,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,110,126,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980,997 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $642,139,000 after purchasing an additional 47,394 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 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,710,000 after purchasing an additional 453,428 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company's stock valued at $267,396,000 after purchasing an additional 154,238 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,282,681 shares of the company's stock valued at $217,222,000 after purchasing an additional 87,498 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey
In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,333 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $233,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 39,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,895,350. This represents a 3.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 54,107 shares of company stock valued at $9,008,118 over the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Hershey Stock Up 0.1%
HSY stock traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $164.82. 1,080,547 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,806,630. 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 firm has a market cap of $33.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.32, a P/E/G ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.30. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $165.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.76. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.07 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Hershey Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.32%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.57%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.84.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Hershey
About Hershey
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading

Before you consider Hershey, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Hershey wasn't on the list.
While Hershey currently has a Reduce rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Unlock your free copy of MarketBeat's comprehensive guide to pot stock investing and discover which cannabis companies are poised for growth. Plus, you'll get exclusive access to our daily newsletter with expert stock recommendations from Wall Street's top analysts.
Get This Free Report