Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Shares Purchased by Monte Financial Group LLC

Monte Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 8.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,114 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,151 shares during the quarter. Hershey makes up about 2.8% of Monte Financial Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Monte Financial Group LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $6,849,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $171.70 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $208.03. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $165.52. 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 capitalization of $34.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.17, a PEG ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.29.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during 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 revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their target price on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey 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.

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