Isthmus Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Isthmus Partners LLC raised its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 4.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 72,208 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,977 shares during the quarter. Hershey accounts for approximately 1.5% of Isthmus Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Isthmus Partners LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $12,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $31,134,739.20. The trade was a 13.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,175. The trade was a 4.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 54,107 shares of company stock worth $9,008,118 over the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered 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. 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. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $158.84.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1%

HSY traded up $0.18 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $164.82. 1,080,547 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,809,282. 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 company's fifty day moving average price is $165.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.72. The company has a market cap of $33.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.30. Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03.

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. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.07 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.32%. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 67.57%.

Hershey Company 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.