Guardian Asset Advisors LLC Purchases 1,357 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Guardian Asset Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,908 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,357 shares during the period. Hershey comprises approximately 1.2% of Guardian Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Guardian Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 14.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,372,965,000 after purchasing an additional 2,158,912 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 297.9% in the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,959,000 after buying an additional 537,419 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter worth $82,123,000. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 3,404.3% during the 1st quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 256,447 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,879,000 after acquiring an additional 249,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in Hershey by 1,194.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 249,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,837,000 after acquiring an additional 230,077 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY traded up $1.36 on Thursday, reaching $188.33. 107,042 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,694,906. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week 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 firm has a market cap of $38.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a P/E/G ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $195.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $193.59.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.01 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 54.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut Hershey from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $184.00 to $163.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $179.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, June 21st. UBS Group lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $197.90.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Hershey 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 value of $286,245.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $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.

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.