Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. Acquires 3,102 Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 11.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,569 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,102 shares during the quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $5,057,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $177.18 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $35.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 0.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $165.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $164.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.07 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors 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 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. DA Davidson raised their target price on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.84.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

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.

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