SG Americas Securities LLC Purchases 4,236 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 92.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,815 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,236 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,508,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE:HSY traded up $1.28 on Monday, reaching $170.40. 1,553,983 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,795,003. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. The company's 50 day moving average is $163.77 and its 200-day moving average is $165.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.29.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that The 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, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.84.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of Hershey 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.