The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Acquired by Moors & Cabot Inc.

Moors & Cabot Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,625 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 303 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,154,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Great Diamond Partners LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC now owns 5,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,431,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 7.3% in the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.2% in the first 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. V Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. boosted its stake in Hershey by 0.4% during the first quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 10,004 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,545,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.47% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.55, for a total value of $285,825.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 34,316 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,538,913.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director Pamela M. Arway sold 182 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.56, for a total value of $35,409.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 15,562 shares in the company, valued at $3,027,742.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.55, for a total transaction of $285,825.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,316 shares in the company, valued at $6,538,913.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,682 shares of company stock valued at $953,275. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. HSBC assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, September 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $248.00 price target on the stock. Stephens initiated coverage on Hershey in a research note on Friday, October 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $268.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $260.00 to $240.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Finally, Argus decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $315.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $249.40.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $196.22. 155,814 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,197,351. The business has a 50-day moving average of $197.13 and a 200-day moving average of $228.77. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $183.74 and a 1 year 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 stock has a market capitalization of $40.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 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 (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.17 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Investors 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 yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.46%.

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