Bokf Na Purchases 3,692 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Bokf Na grew its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 27.1% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 17,303 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,692 shares during the period. Bokf Na’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,431,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 754 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,661 shares of the company’s stock worth $683,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 5,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mount Lucas Management LP boosted its holdings in Hershey by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Mount Lucas Management LP now owns 9,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,793,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at $6,531,729.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 4,500 shares of company stock worth $867,450 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded up $0.84 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $194.37. The stock had a trading volume of 134,208 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,838,509. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.18, a PEG ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.36. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $235.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $190.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $192.54.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 50.15% and a net margin of 18.13%. The company’s revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.96 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.58 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.82%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Edward Jones reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Argus decreased their target price on Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 21st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on Hershey from $204.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.89.

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; 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.