The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Occidental Asset Management LLC

Occidental Asset Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,833 shares of the company’s stock after selling 92 shares during the period. Occidental Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $683,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 5,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Mount Lucas Management LP increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Mount Lucas Management LP now owns 9,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,793,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 13.3% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 486 shares of the company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $198.67 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.69, a PEG ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.36. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $178.82 and a 1-year high of $224.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $190.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $193.13.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.01 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.76%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. 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 research note on Friday, August 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Argus dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.47.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total value of $274,395.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 35,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,535,723.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $867,450. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.