The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by LaFleur & Godfrey LLC

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC cut its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 43,130 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,276 shares during the period. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $8,271,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 55.0% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 13.3% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 486 shares of the company’s stock worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY raised its position in shares of Hershey by 0.8% during the third quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 7,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,411,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 3.7% during the second quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $484,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $184.22. The company had a trading volume of 378,589 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,686,980. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $194.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $193.39. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $178.82 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $37.25 billion, a PE ratio of 18.36, a P/E/G ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.01 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.31%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at $6,531,729.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,912.46. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $204.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $184.00 to $163.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.00.

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.