Madison Asset Management LLC Sells 4,185 Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Madison Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 4.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 94,505 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,185 shares during the quarter. Madison Asset Management LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $16,163,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup decreased their target price on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, July 6th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $160.16.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY traded up $3.64 on Friday, hitting $187.54. 1,943,816 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,819,132. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.00 billion, a PE ratio of 23.12, a P/E/G ratio of 6.93 and a beta of 0.30. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $167.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $165.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

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 business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 business earned $3.07 EPS. On average, research analysts predict 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 paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $227,500.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,431,175. This represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $240,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 99,021 shares of company stock worth $17,189,088 over the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.