RKL Wealth Management LLC Sells 224 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

RKL Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 3.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,268 shares of the company’s stock after selling 224 shares during the quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,815,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc bought a new position in Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Arlington Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter worth $27,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its holdings in Hershey by 121.3% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 135 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter worth $38,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 56.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY traded down $0.74 during trading on Monday, reaching $187.25. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 432,411 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,189,177. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $200.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $232.82. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $183.74 and a 12 month high of $276.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.35.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.13. Hershey had a net margin of 17.11% and a return on equity of 54.74%. The company had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.17 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.192 per share. This represents a $4.77 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.35%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.00, for a total value of $310,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,413,912. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.00, for a total value of $310,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,413,912. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Pamela M. Arway sold 182 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.56, for a total transaction of $35,409.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,562 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,027,742.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,682 shares of company stock valued at $953,275 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $260.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 31st. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $300.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $265.00 to $218.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, October 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $248.71.

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.