Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Sells 179 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL reduced its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 11.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,394 shares of the company’s stock after selling 179 shares during the quarter. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in Hershey were worth $256,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CreativeOne Wealth LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 179.4% in the first quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 6,958 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,353,000 after buying an additional 4,468 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 21.8% during the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 100,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,660,000 after acquiring an additional 17,890 shares during the period. Bridgefront Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $972,000. Oak Harvest Investment Services purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $5,383,000. Finally, Signet Financial Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 59.9% during the first quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC now owns 12,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,521,000 after purchasing an additional 4,854 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now 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 the SEC website. In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on 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 owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $198.62 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $194.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $193.52. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $213.85. The company has a market cap of $40.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.68, a PEG ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup downgraded Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, 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 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.21.

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.