The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc.

Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 23.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 8,725 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,646 shares during the quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,673,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 55.0% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 486 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY increased its position in shares of Hershey by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 7,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,411,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.3% in the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $484,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’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 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 approximately $6,531,729.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at $6,531,729.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 stock in a transaction 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 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. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Hershey Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:HSY opened at $184.30 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $194.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $193.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $37.27 billion, a PE ratio of 18.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

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). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.01 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

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.