Steven Voskuil Sells 1,500 Shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total value of $260,145.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,485,753.85. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $178.75 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $36.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.09. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $187.07 and its 200 day moving average is $198.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Hershey Company has a one year low of $160.07 and a one year high of $239.48.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 108.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on Hershey from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $211.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 target price on Hershey in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Hershey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $218.06.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the first quarter worth about $27,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.