J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 409.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,697 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,207 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 20.1% during the first quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 11,576 shares of the company's stock worth $1,980,000 after purchasing an additional 1,940 shares in the last quarter. Lipe & Dalton increased its holdings in Hershey by 390.6% in the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 32,220 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,511,000 after buying an additional 25,653 shares in the last quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 14,844.4% in the first quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC now owns 1,345 shares of the company's stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 1,336 shares in the last quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 2.3% in the first quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 4,043 shares of the company's stock valued at $691,000 after buying an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Markel Group Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 21.1% in the first quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 54,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,321,000 after buying an additional 9,500 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 3.2%

HSY stock opened at $176.77 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.80, a PEG ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 0.30. 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 one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $165.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $164.59.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released 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 firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. Hershey'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 earned $3.07 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.10%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, July 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $158.84.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 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 value of $227,500.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were 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 approximately $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% 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 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.28% 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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