Good Life Advisors LLC Buys 2,624 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Good Life Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 108.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,052 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,624 shares during the quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $969,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of HSY. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 218.2% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:HSY opened at $183.90 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $194.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $193.26. The stock has a market cap of $37.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a P/E/G ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37. 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 12 month low of $178.82 and a 12 month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.01 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.47 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.98%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 54.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on HSY. Citigroup lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $184.00 to $163.00 in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They set a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $195.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $644,912.46. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at $6,531,729.24. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Company 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.