Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Stock Holdings Lifted by Hamel Associates Inc.

Hamel Associates Inc. grew its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 633.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,263 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,228 shares during the period. Hamel Associates Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,808,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 129.5% in the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $240,120.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at $6,852,240. The trade was a 3.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 99,021 shares of company stock valued at $17,189,088 over the last ninety days. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE HSY traded down $1.77 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $185.36. 670,299 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,859,016. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month 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 business's 50 day moving average is $167.36 and its 200-day moving average is $165.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.05 and a beta of 0.30.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.07 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Hershey from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $160.68.

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.