Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC Has $1.01 Million Stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 39.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,891 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,668 shares during the quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,008,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC now owns 46,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,578 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 6,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after buying an additional 520 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Hershey by 129.7% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,206,000 after buying an additional 4,022 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 67,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,502,000 after buying an additional 710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 464.9% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 435 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $169.75 on Thursday. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $164.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $165.63. The company has a market cap of $34.39 billion, a PE ratio of 20.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.17 and a beta of 0.29.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. Hershey’s revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.23%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.84.

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.