Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC Has $173,000 Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 15.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,010 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $173,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,939,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 59.8% during the fourth quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $671,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares during the last quarter. DJE Kapital AG purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,040,000. Beacon Financial Group purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $367,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $785,003,000 after purchasing an additional 247,675 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $161.83 on Monday. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03. The company has a market capitalization of $32.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.85, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $165.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The company’s revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.07 earnings per share. Analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.84.

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.