Stephens Inc. AR Sells 27,769 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Stephens Inc. AR cut its Hershey position by 53% in the first quarter, selling 27,769 shares and leaving it with 24,636 shares valued at about $5.12 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and other institutions holding 57.96% of Hershey’s stock, though several firms recently made only small portfolio adjustments.
• Analysts are cautious on HSY: multiple firms lowered price targets, and the consensus rating is currently “Hold” with a consensus price target of $217.50.

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 53.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,636 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,769 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Hershey were worth $5,122,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Syon Capital LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company's stock worth $550,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company's stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company's stock worth $1,462,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its position in Hershey by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company's stock valued at $559,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $217.50.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total value of $260,145.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,485,753.85. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $175.98 on Wednesday. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $160.07 and a 1 year high of $239.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $184.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $197.93. The firm has a market cap of $35.70 billion, a PE ratio of 32.77, a PEG ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.09 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.43 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 108.19%.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company NYSE: HSY is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey's business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey's product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HSY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.