Trust Co. of Vermont Increases Position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,691 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Hershey were worth $460,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ethos Financial Group LLC grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,483 shares in the last quarter. DJE Kapital AG purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $1,040,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 8.1% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 18,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,186,000 after acquiring an additional 1,390 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $785,003,000 after acquiring an additional 247,675 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global View Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $253,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $167.09 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $164.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $165.10. The stock has a market cap of $33.85 billion, a PE ratio of 20.60, a P/E/G ratio of 6.10 and a beta of 0.29.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group cut their target price 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. The trade was a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Company 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.