Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft Buys Shares of 1,141 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft purchased a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $208,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 24,105 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,494,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 64.3% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 21,086 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,931,000 after purchasing an additional 8,249 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 14.7% during the fourth quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $378,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,697,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 458,897 shares of the company’s stock worth $85,557,000 after purchasing an additional 2,223 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total transaction of $274,395.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,535,723.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 5,038 shares of company stock valued at $974,603 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Hershey from $188.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Argus cut shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.47.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $196.66 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $39.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49, a PEG ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $178.82 and a 12 month high of $222.27. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $190.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $193.28.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.01 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

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.