Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Grows Position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 166.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,616 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,124 shares during the quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $2,500,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $3,375,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,884,200. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $227,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 25,321 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 54,107 shares of company stock valued at $9,008,118 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their price target on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded up $2.65 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $164.60. 2,135,219 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,809,646. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $33.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.30, a P/E/G ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $165.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $164.80. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.07 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast 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. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.57%.

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.