Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC Boosts Holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC boosted its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 39.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,891 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,668 shares during the quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,008,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Up 1.2%

NYSE:HSY traded up $1.98 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $171.70. The company had a trading volume of 4,188,543 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,801,409. The company has a market capitalization of $34.79 billion, a PE ratio of 21.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $164.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.57. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.07 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 3.19%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $158.84.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the firm's 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 directly owns 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.