The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) CAO Sells $153,025.14 in Stock

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Hershey Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $0.67 during trading on Friday, reaching $160.65. 2,073,023 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,784,156. The company has a market capitalization of $32.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The business's 50-day moving average price is $163.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $166.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.07 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Jacobi Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 31.9% during the first quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 8,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,377,000 after buying an additional 1,948 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 11.3% in the first quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the company's stock worth $846,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares during the period. Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 56.3% in the first quarter. Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC now owns 117,912 shares of the company's stock worth $20,166,000 after purchasing an additional 42,488 shares during the period. WBI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the first quarter valued at $2,674,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 10.0% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 227,762 shares of the company's stock worth $38,954,000 after purchasing an additional 20,673 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup decreased their target price 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.84.

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.