The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 86,625 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,596 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $14,879,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $2.22 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $166.12. The stock had a trading volume of 1,526,834 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,010,997. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $161.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $178.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.24, a P/E/G ratio of 5.79 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HSY. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $164.15.

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.