OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC Acquires 4,825 Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 133.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,448 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,825 shares during the quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,445,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. 44 Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 14.7% in the first quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,214,000 after buying an additional 2,407 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at about $202,000. Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter worth about $11,037,000. Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Hershey by 9.7% in the first quarter. Summit Place Financial Advisors LLC now owns 15,290 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,615,000 after purchasing an additional 1,352 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC increased its position in Hershey by 8.9% in the first quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 3,083 shares of the company’s stock worth $503,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on HSY. Wall Street Zen lowered Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.84.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $175.62 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $165.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.81. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.65, a P/E/G ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 0.30.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.07 EPS. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 67.57%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $3,375,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,884,200. The trade was a 9.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 54,107 shares of company stock worth $9,008,118. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.