Advantage Trust Co Sells 800 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Advantage Trust Co trimmed its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 76.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 250 shares of the company’s stock after selling 800 shares during the period. Advantage Trust Co’s holdings in Hershey were worth $48,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norden Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the first quarter valued at $374,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in Hershey by 54.9% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 9,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,889,000 after purchasing an additional 3,445 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 239.2% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 22,035 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,286,000 after buying an additional 15,538 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 29.7% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,119 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,163,000 after buying an additional 2,544 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forsta AP Fonden increased its position in shares of Hershey by 9.6% during the first quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 39,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,741,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock traded up $2.82 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $175.67. The stock had a trading volume of 3,115,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,375,510. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $171.67 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a market capitalization of $35.54 billion, a PE ratio of 19.52, a P/E/G ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $189.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.17.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.50 by ($0.16). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The firm had revenue of $2.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 60.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup downgraded Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Argus cut Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $204.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $190.56.

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.