Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Assetmark Inc.

Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 4.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,738 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 555 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in Hershey by 7.1% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 76,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,065,000 after purchasing an additional 5,041 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 12,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,161,000 after acquiring an additional 1,455 shares during the period. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 6,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,104,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Hamilton Point Investment Advisors LLC now owns 20,834 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,563,000 after acquiring an additional 3,329 shares during the period. Finally, Hamel Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 633.5% in the 1st quarter. Hamel Associates Inc. now owns 22,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 19,228 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.00, for a total value of $3,568,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,820,440. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 2,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 99,021 shares of company stock worth $17,189,088. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $186.29 on Wednesday. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The company’s 50 day moving average is $168.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $165.52. 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 cap of $37.74 billion, a PE ratio of 22.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 0.30.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. DA Davidson boosted their price target 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. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $161.74.

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.