Steven E. Voskuil Sells 1,500 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stock

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total transaction of $278,745.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 38,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,196,824.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $187.17 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week high of $276.88. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $191.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $190.71. The company has a market cap of $38.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.34.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.07. Hershey had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 51.79%. The business had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.02 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $213.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, March 15th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Edward Jones restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, April 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $223.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.