Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Holdings Cut by LaFleur & Godfrey LLC

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC decreased its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 4.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 44,416 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,292 shares during the period. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $7,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Montag & Caldwell LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded down $4.40 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $167.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,234,470 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,798,818. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $164.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.40. 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 has a market capitalization of $33.97 billion, a PE ratio of 20.67, a PEG ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 0.29.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.07 EPS. Hershey's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped 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. 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 research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

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.