Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 19,325 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Morgan Dempsey Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 19,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,552,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 14.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,372,965,000 after buying an additional 2,158,912 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $349,448,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,487,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,327,000 after purchasing an additional 90,329 shares during the last quarter. Vontobel Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Asset Management Inc. now owns 781,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $151,715,000 after acquiring an additional 112,304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 777,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $145,006,000 after purchasing an additional 19,018 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Argus lowered Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Hershey from $192.00 to $191.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $202.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,538 shares of company stock worth $667,793. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded up $1.70 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $199.80. 1,190,987 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,780,165. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $193.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $193.35. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week high of $213.85. 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 company has a market cap of $40.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.80, a P/E/G ratio of 5.60 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 company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.01 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.31%.

Hershey 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.