The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Holdings Lifted by Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC

Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC increased its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 33.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,760 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,985 shares during the period. Hershey comprises about 1.9% of Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,022,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 7.6% during the third quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $782,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. Stratos Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC now owns 2,535 shares of the company’s stock valued at $486,000 after buying an additional 413 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $206,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 33.2% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 33,471 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,419,000 after acquiring an additional 8,338 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M3 Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth $202,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $185.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $37.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.40, a PEG ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $194.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $193.18. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.01 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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 year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $204.00 to $202.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $195.00.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 transaction of $286,245.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’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 directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, 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 currently 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.