AMI Investment Management Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

AMI Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,577 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 388 shares during the period. AMI Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,668,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth Alliance boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 9.5% during the fourth 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. AJOVista LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $153,000. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 1,263.3% in the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 15,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,816,000 after acquiring an additional 13,997 shares during the last quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,332,000. Finally, Reliant Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,173,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $0.15 during trading on Friday, reaching $183.83. 5,542,376 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,450,476. The stock has a market cap of $37.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $194.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $192.22. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $178.82 and a 52-week high of $251.73.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 50.15% and a net margin of 18.13%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.96 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.54, for a total value of $306,810.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 37,228 shares in the company, valued at $7,614,615.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $859,950. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $213.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Argus reduced their target price on Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Barclays dropped their price target on Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $195.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Finally, Edward Jones reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, April 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $209.67.

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.