1,675 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Bought by Gateway Investment Advisers LLC

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 1,675 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $166.95 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $163.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $165.75. 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 Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03. The company has a market capitalization of $33.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.32, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.29.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.07 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.28%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 67.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $158.84.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Company 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.