Steven E. Voskuil Sells 1,500 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stock

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total transaction of $296,850.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 40,228 shares in the company, valued at $7,961,121.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Hershey Stock Up 1.5 %

HSY stock opened at $193.71 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $276.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.51 billion, a PE ratio of 21.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a fifty day moving average of $193.22 and a 200-day moving average of $192.79.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.72 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 51.79%. The business’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.02 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on HSY. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $240.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 29th. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, December 8th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $205.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $183.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $225.48.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PFS Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. PFS Investments Inc. now owns 1,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.2% during the third quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.4% during the third quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 3,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $792,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 754 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.