IFP Advisors Inc Reduces Stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

IFP Advisors Inc lowered its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 33.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,594 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,398 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,470,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 129.5% in the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $3,375,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,884,200. The trade was a 9.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the business'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 $227,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 25,321 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 54,107 shares of company stock valued at $9,008,118 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock opened at $181.54 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $165.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $164.59. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $36.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.61 and a beta of 0.30.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.07 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wall Street Zen cut Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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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