McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. Takes $401,000 Position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Key Points

• McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. acquired 2,413 shares of Hershey Company valued at approximately $401,000 in the first quarter.
• Hershey Company's quarterly earnings exceeded analysts' expectations, reporting $1.21 EPS against a consensus estimate of $0.98.
• Several institutional investors substantially increased their stakes in Hershey, with GAMMA Investing LLC raising its position by 18,311.7% in the first quarter.

McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,413 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $401,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in Hershey by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,110,126,000 after buying an additional 2,980,997 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 1,005,127 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 6,721.3% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 819,446 shares of the company's stock valued at $140,150,000 after acquiring an additional 807,433 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 38.6% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,266.3% in the first quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 214,794 shares of the company's stock worth $36,777,000 after purchasing an additional 199,073 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $900,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 61,319 shares in the company, valued at $11,037,420. This trade represents a 7.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $240,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 118,311 shares of company stock worth $20,931,348 in the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of HSY traded down $1.25 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $187.34. 1,977,500 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,832,113. The company has a market cap of $37.96 billion, a PE ratio of 24.88, a PEG ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.53. The firm's 50 day moving average is $172.54 and its 200-day moving average is $166.86. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%. The company's revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Hershey's payout ratio is 72.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on HSY shares. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. DA Davidson upped their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $169.68.

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.