Blair William & Co. IL Boosts Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,387 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,365 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL's holdings in Hershey were worth $6,670,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 51,267 shares of the company's stock worth $9,832,000 after buying an additional 1,241 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its position in Hershey by 18.3% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 6,470 shares of the company's stock worth $1,241,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 36,205 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,943,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $385,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $588,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE HSY traded up $1.49 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $165.44. The stock had a trading volume of 1,580,617 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,966,149. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The firm has a market cap of $33.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.18, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The business's fifty day moving average price is $164.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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 decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $162.50.

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.