Capital Investment Advisors LLC Sells 5,572 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Capital Investment Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 11.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 45,309 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,572 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $8,689,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 2,257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $421,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $564,000. First Hawaiian Bank lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 21.8% during the 1st quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 3,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $700,000 after buying an additional 644 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 26,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,129,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 18.8% during the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 5,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,005,000 after buying an additional 816 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $185.68 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $194.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $193.18. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $178.82 and a 12 month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). The firm 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%. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.01 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 54.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They set a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on Hershey from $204.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Citigroup cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.00.

About Hershey

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.