Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) CEO Michele Buck Sells 19,290 Shares

Key Points

• Hershey CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the company's stock for approximately $3.74 million, reducing her ownership by 9.06% to a total of 193,624 shares.
• The company's stock was trading down by 1.5% at $186.05, with a fifty-two week range of $140.13 to $208.03.
• Hershey recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, which will be paid on September 15th, representing an annualized yield of 2.9%.

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total transaction of $3,742,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,563,056. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Michele Buck also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, July 23rd, Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of Hershey stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total value of $3,568,650.00.
• On Monday, July 21st, Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of Hershey stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $3,472,200.00.
• On Tuesday, July 1st, Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of Hershey stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $3,375,750.00.
• On Friday, May 30th, Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of Hershey stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00.

Hershey Stock Up 1.4%

Hershey stock traded up $2.57 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $188.70. The stock had a trading volume of 2,072,840 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,902,214. The stock has a market cap of $38.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.30. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $170.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $166.11. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%. The business's revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is 72.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group cut their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Hershey from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho increased their price target on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Hershey from $135.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $168.37.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fulton Bank N.A. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 1,312 shares of the company's stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company's stock valued at $460,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $214,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 7,248 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,229,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,179,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.