Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. Has $1.09 Million Stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 33.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,349 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,606 shares during the quarter. Hershey comprises approximately 1.1% of Stegent Equity Advisors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,086,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $164.60 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $165.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $164.80. 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 PE ratio of 20.30, a P/E/G ratio of 5.98 and a beta of 0.30. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.07 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the company's 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,333 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $233,275.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 39,402 shares in the company, valued at $6,895,350. This trade represents a 3.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 54,107 shares of company stock valued at $9,008,118. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey 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.

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