Insider Selling: Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Insider Sells 1,333 Shares of Stock

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) insider Rohit Grover sold 1,333 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $233,275.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 39,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,895,350. This trade represents a 3.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Hershey Stock Down 2.3%

NYSE:HSY traded down $4.08 on Thursday, reaching $173.00. 733,761 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,793,894. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $35.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.33, a PEG ratio of 6.54 and a beta of 0.30. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $165.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.07 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on HSY. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup lowered their target price on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $158.84.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital International Investors lifted its position in Hershey by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,110,126,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980,997 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 18,311.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,010,616 shares of the company's stock worth $1,728,460,000 after buying an additional 1,005,127 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6,721.3% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 819,446 shares of the company's stock worth $140,150,000 after acquiring an additional 807,433 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Hershey by 25.4% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,753,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $470,858,000 after acquiring an additional 557,056 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $80,978,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

About Hershey

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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