The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Purchased by Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC

Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC lifted its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 24.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,860 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,505 shares during the period. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $3,025,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company's stock worth $785,003,000 after buying an additional 247,675 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $642,139,000 after acquiring an additional 47,394 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Hershey by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,282,681 shares of the company's stock worth $217,222,000 after purchasing an additional 87,498 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company's stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 711,009 shares of the company's stock valued at $120,409,000 after purchasing an additional 93,009 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Hershey Stock Down 1.7 %

HSY traded down $2.83 on Tuesday, hitting $167.47. 342,735 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,794,330. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $167.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $171.00. 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 twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The company has a market cap of $33.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Hershey's payout ratio is 50.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $163.05.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

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

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.