Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Sells 7,381 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lowered its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 49,755 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,381 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Hershey were worth $9,064,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Friedenthal Financial increased its position in Hershey by 38,266.7% during the 4th quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 5,755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 5,740 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 166.8% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 39,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,332,000 after buying an additional 24,509 shares during the period. Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth $1,070,000. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its holdings in Hershey by 6.4% in the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 42,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,957,000 after buying an additional 2,573 shares during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 9.4% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 60,978 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,406,000 after buying an additional 5,239 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 $190.04 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $203.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $196.98. Hershey Company has a one year low of $150.04 and a one year high of $239.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.39, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.07.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.09 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group lowered their target price on Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 price target on Hershey in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $218.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at $9,277,008.52. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,189,090. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.