The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 51.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,844 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,475 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $4,762,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 46,708 shares of the company's stock worth $7,910,000 after acquiring an additional 3,578 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,311 shares of the company's stock valued at $561,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 53.4% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,884 shares of the company's stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 14.7% in the fourth quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 789 shares of the company's stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in Hershey by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 502 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded down $0.95 during trading on Friday, hitting $161.83. 1,112,186 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,779,146. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $163.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $165.98. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The company has a market cap of $32.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.85, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.29.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.07 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 67.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on HSY. UBS Group cut their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average 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.