10,017 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Purchased by Lantz Financial LLC

Lantz Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 10,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,841,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,372,965,000 after purchasing an additional 2,158,912 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $349,448,000. Confluence Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 297.9% during the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,959,000 after purchasing an additional 537,419 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3,404.3% in the first quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 256,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,879,000 after purchasing an additional 249,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 98.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 419,947 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,680,000 after buying an additional 208,293 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,538 shares of company stock worth $667,793 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 target price on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.21.

Hershey Stock Down 0.2 %

NYSE HSY opened at $202.83 on Wednesday. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $213.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The company has a fifty day moving average of $194.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $193.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.10, a PEG ratio of 5.80 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 firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during 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 business’s revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.01 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.31%.

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.