Koshinski Asset Management Inc. Decreases Position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Koshinski Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 42.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,458 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,814 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $420,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Hershey by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,110,126,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980,997 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 18,311.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,010,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,728,460,000 after buying an additional 1,005,127 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $80,978,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 38.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company's stock worth $275,710,000 after acquiring an additional 453,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 1,266.3% in the first quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 214,794 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,777,000 after purchasing an additional 199,073 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. The trade was a 13.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 51,474 shares of company stock worth $8,547,343. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock traded down $4.08 on Thursday, hitting $173.00. The stock had a trading volume of 733,761 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,790,790. The stock has a market cap of $35.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.33, a P/E/G ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 0.30. 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 Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The company's 50 day moving average price is $165.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.92.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. The company's revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.07 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company 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.