ORG Wealth Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 1,612 Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $273,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HSY. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp increased its position in Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock worth $762,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 2.6% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,768 shares of the company's stock worth $473,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company's stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $939,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 42.5% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 238 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock traded up $1.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $171.70. 4,188,543 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,800,969. Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03. The company has a market cap of $34.79 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.29. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $164.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The company's revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.07 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders 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 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of Hershey 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 approximately $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $470,387.34. The trade was 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. DA Davidson increased their target price on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.