Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 1.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,767 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $177.18 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $35.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.85, a P/E/G ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 0.30. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $165.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $164.92. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.07 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 67.57%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. The trade was a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HSY. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.84.

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.