Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Acquires 1,134 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 0.1% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 763,008 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,134 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $194,117,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Great Diamond Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the first quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC now owns 5,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,431,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,296 shares of the company’s stock valued at $839,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 2.8% during the first quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 1,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $362,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, V Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 3.6% during the first quarter. V Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the company’s stock worth $293,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 56.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 150 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.21, for a total value of $38,431.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,575 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,990,470.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.36, for a total value of $321,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 37,316 shares in the company, valued at $7,999,057.76. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.21, for a total transaction of $38,431.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 15,575 shares in the company, valued at $3,990,470.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 280,010 shares of company stock valued at $72,657,283. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY opened at $217.31 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $211.49 and a 1 year high of $276.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $44.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.28. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $235.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $248.16.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The company reported $2.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.12. Hershey had a return on equity of 55.74% and a net margin of 16.49%. The company had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.80 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.192 per share. This represents a $4.77 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 17th. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho decreased their target price on Hershey from $263.00 to $233.00 in a research note on Monday, July 31st. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $268.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $260.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 28th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $264.00 to $262.00 in a research report on Monday, July 17th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $262.11.

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; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.