Hershey (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven Voskuil Sells 1,500 Shares

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total value of $260,145.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 54,695 shares in the company, valued at $9,485,753.85. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Hershey Stock Down 0.9%

Hershey stock opened at $171.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.71 billion, a PE ratio of 31.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.09. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $187.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $198.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $160.07 and a 12 month high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.09 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 108.19%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter worth $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter valued at $27,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HSY. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $211.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group lowered their target price on Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Evercore raised Hershey from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $255.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $218.06.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.