Versant Capital Management Inc Purchases Shares of 1,898 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,898 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $325,000.

• Hershey Hits the Sweet Spot for Defensive Investors

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 25,259 shares of the company's stock worth $4,320,000 after buying an additional 714 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 699,426 shares of the company's stock worth $119,623,000 after buying an additional 17,397 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,402 shares of the company's stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 271,136 shares of the company's stock worth $45,917,000 after buying an additional 2,073 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 13,103 shares of the company's stock worth $2,219,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Stock Down 0.4%

• Hershey’s Sweet Comeback: Why Investors Are Taking Notice

Shares of HSY opened at $160.65 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.74, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The business's fifty day moving average price is $163.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $166.24. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.07 EPS. On average, analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

• 3 Affordable Dividend Stocks to Buy Now for Income and Growth

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.41%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays increased their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. DA Davidson raised their price target on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.84.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Hershey

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.

Featured Articles

• Five stocks we like better than Hershey
• Investing in the High PE Growth Stocks
• Near 52-Week Lows, These 3 Mid-Cap Stocks Are Worth a Look
• What Are the U.K. Market Holidays? How to Invest and Trade
• 3 Overlooked Dividend Plays for Income in Volatile Times
• P/E Ratio Calculation: How to Assess Stocks
• AXON: Competition Intensifies as Motorola Makes $4.4B Acquisition

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Should You Invest $1,000 in Hershey Right Now?

Before you consider Hershey, you'll want to hear this.

MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Hershey wasn't on the list.

While Hershey currently has a Reduce rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.

View The Five Stocks Here