Sapient Capital LLC Sells 831 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Sapient Capital LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 30.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,890 shares of the company’s stock after selling 831 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $368,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Wealth Alliance raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Alliance now owns 1,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1,263.3% during the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 15,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,816,000 after purchasing an additional 13,997 shares in the last quarter. Reliant Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,173,000. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 78,757.1% during the 4th quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 5,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,029,000 after acquiring an additional 5,513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 91.4% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 91,779 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,111,000 after acquiring an additional 43,836 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $1.45 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $193.92. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,132,628 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,972,461. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.97. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $191.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $190.66. The company has a market capitalization of $39.55 billion, a PE ratio of 21.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.34. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $178.82 and a 52 week high of $276.88.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.72 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 51.79%. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.02 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.83%. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 60.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Edward Jones restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, April 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Finally, BNP Paribas cut shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $212.78.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total transaction of $89,938.62. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total value of $278,745.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 38,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,196,824.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total transaction of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,453 shares of company stock valued at $665,534. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.