Hershey Co (NYSE:HSY) CEO Michele Buck sold 3,832 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $574,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 149,429 shares in the company, valued at $22,414,350. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
Michele Buck also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Friday, January 10th, Michele Buck sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.83, for a total transaction of $220,245.00.
- On Tuesday, December 3rd, Michele Buck sold 3,832 shares of Hershey stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.97, for a total transaction of $574,685.04.
- On Monday, November 11th, Michele Buck sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.15, for a total transaction of $211,725.00.
- On Wednesday, October 16th, Michele Buck sold 3,832 shares of Hershey stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.04, for a total transaction of $582,617.28.
Shares of HSY stock opened at $148.83 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $147.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $149.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market cap of $31.32 billion, a PE ratio of 27.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.05. Hershey Co has a 12 month low of $100.80 and a 12 month high of $162.20.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.60 by $0.01. Hershey had a net margin of 16.18% and a return on equity of 77.39%. The firm had revenue of $2.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.55 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Hershey Co will post 5.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were given a dividend of $0.773 per share. This represents a $3.09 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 21st. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.65%.
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter worth $28,000. Country Trust Bank acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Adirondack Trust Co. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Eii Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Evoke Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at $39,000. 53.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
HSY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $158.00 price target for the company. Bank of America downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $155.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. ValuEngine downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Zacks Investment Research raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $154.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, December 27th. Finally, UBS Group set a $147.00 price target on shares of Hershey and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $146.27.
Hershey Company Profile
The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells confectionery products. The company operates through two segments, North America; and International and Other. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products comprising mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items, including spreads, meat snacks, bars and snack bites, mixes, popcorn and protein bars, and cookies.
