Hantz Financial Services Inc. Purchases Shares of 874 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 874 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $161,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 14.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,372,965,000 after purchasing an additional 2,158,912 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $349,448,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 297.9% during the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,959,000 after purchasing an additional 537,419 shares during the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 3,404.3% during the first quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 256,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,879,000 after purchasing an additional 249,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 98.4% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 419,947 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,680,000 after purchasing an additional 208,293 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $193.06 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $39.05 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 0.36. The business has a fifty day moving average of $192.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $193.16. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $219.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The firm’s revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.01 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 54.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Argus downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $192.00 to $191.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $202.79.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793 over the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.