RFG Advisory LLC Sells 6,008 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

RFG Advisory LLC lessened its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 82.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,257 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,008 shares during the quarter. RFG Advisory LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $215,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in Hershey by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,110,126,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980,997 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $785,003,000 after purchasing an additional 247,675 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,139,000 after acquiring an additional 47,394 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 38.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $275,710,000 after acquiring an additional 453,428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Hershey by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,396,000 after acquiring an additional 154,238 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 193,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $161.83 on Monday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $163.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $165.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.85, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.29. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Hershey’s revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.07 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 67.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.84.

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; 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.