The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Beacon Financial Group

Beacon Financial Group raised its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 73.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,749 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,582 shares during the quarter. Beacon Financial Group's holdings in Hershey were worth $641,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 value of $153,025.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares in the company, 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. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on HSY shares. UBS Group dropped their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. 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, Citigroup lowered their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $162.73 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $32.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.93, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.29. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $163.32 and a 200-day moving average of $165.98.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.07 earnings per share. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 67.57%.

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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