The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC cut its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 99,242 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,382 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $16,807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $1,939,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company's stock worth $671,000 after acquiring an additional 1,483 shares during the period. DJE Kapital AG bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $1,040,000. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 788.4% in the 4th quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 57,158 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,617,000 after purchasing an additional 50,724 shares during the period. Finally, Willis Investment Counsel lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 46.2% during the 4th quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 140,579 shares of the company's stock worth $23,807,000 after buying an additional 44,431 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. The trade was a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. Sanford C. Bernstein upped 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. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded down $1.62 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $161.46. The company had a trading volume of 1,114,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,779,627. The company has a market capitalization of $32.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.81, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $163.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $166.03. 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 Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.39%. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

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.