Sachetta LLC Has $293,000 Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Sachetta LLC cut its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 25.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,508 shares of the company’s stock after selling 520 shares during the period. Sachetta LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $293,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $390,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $389,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,759 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,260,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 9.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 730,292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,142,000 after purchasing an additional 64,238 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,531,729.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Trading Up 1.7 %

HSY opened at $203.25 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $193.82 and its 200-day moving average is $193.43. The company has a market cap of $41.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $178.82 and a 1-year high of $213.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.01 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.70%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein decreased their target price on Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Hershey from $192.00 to $191.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $202.79.

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.