Sowell Financial Services LLC Has $2.22 Million Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Sowell Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 25.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,996 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,618 shares during the quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $2,223,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ethos Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company's stock worth $671,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares in the last quarter. DJE Kapital AG acquired a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $1,040,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $785,003,000 after buying an additional 247,675 shares in the last quarter. Global View Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $253,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $1,692,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $170.40 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.52 billion, a PE ratio of 15.63, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.29. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03. The business's fifty day moving average price is $164.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $165.57.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The company's revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.07 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HSY. DA Davidson raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup decreased their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $158.84.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. The trade was a 13.88% decrease in their position. 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 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 value of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey 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.

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