139,832 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Acquired by Imprint Wealth LLC

Imprint Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 139,832 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,983,000. Imprint Wealth LLC owned about 0.07% of Hershey as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Institutional & Family Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the second quarter worth $25,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its holdings in Hershey by 121.3% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 135 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Wellington Shields Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.47% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.00, for a total value of $310,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,413,912. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.00, for a total value of $310,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 35,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,413,912. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Pamela M. Arway sold 182 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.56, for a total transaction of $35,409.92. Following the transaction, the director now owns 15,562 shares in the company, valued at $3,027,742.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,682 shares of company stock valued at $953,275. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on HSY. HSBC started coverage on Hershey in a research note on Friday, September 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $248.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Hershey from $245.00 to $186.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 27th. Argus dropped their price objective on Hershey from $315.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 11th. Stephens initiated coverage on Hershey in a research note on Friday, October 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $240.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Hershey from $265.00 to $218.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $249.40.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded down $3.08 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $192.92. The stock had a trading volume of 515,992 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,199,284. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.45 billion, a PE ratio of 21.14, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $196.60 and its 200 day moving average is $227.34. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $183.74 and a twelve month high of $276.88.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The company reported $2.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.47 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.95 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 17.11% and a return on equity of 54.74%. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.17 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.192 per share. This represents a $4.77 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.46%.

About Hershey

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; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.