Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC Acquires Shares of 1,229 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 1,229 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 1,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $566,000. Congress Asset Management Co. MA lifted its holdings in Hershey by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 45,309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,447,000 after acquiring an additional 11,736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,182,809 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,830,683,000 after acquiring an additional 271,636 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY traded down $1.70 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $184.30. 1,805,328 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,693,552. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $178.82 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $195.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $193.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.36, a P/E/G ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HSY. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Argus cut Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced 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 report on Friday, August 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.00.

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.