17,075 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Acquired by Amica Mutual Insurance Co.

Amica Mutual Insurance Co. purchased a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 17,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,183,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $914,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 3.6% in the third quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 9,187 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,838,000 after acquiring an additional 317 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management grew its position in shares of Hershey by 21.4% during the third quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 14,903 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,855,000 after purchasing an additional 2,626 shares in the last quarter. Busey Trust CO raised its stake in Hershey by 39.7% during the 3rd quarter. Busey Trust CO now owns 4,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $947,000 after purchasing an additional 1,345 shares during the period. Finally, Suncoast Equity Management lifted its holdings in Hershey by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Suncoast Equity Management now owns 11,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,317,000 after purchasing an additional 1,310 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 3.4 %

Shares of HSY traded up $6.36 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $192.52. 2,960,363 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,958,287. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $191.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $190.64. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $178.82 and a 12 month high of $276.88. The stock has a market cap of $39.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.34.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 51.79% and a net margin of 16.67%. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.02 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, March 15th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Barclays raised their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $191.00 to $183.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $212.78.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total value of $278,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 38,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,824.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total value of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total transaction of $278,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 38,728 shares in the company, valued at $7,196,824.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,453 shares of company stock valued at $665,534. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.