The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 668,195 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,018 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.33% of Hershey worth $113,159,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $762,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the period. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A raised its position in Hershey by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company's stock worth $549,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in Hershey by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,546 shares of the company's stock worth $939,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company's stock valued at $921,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Waterfront Wealth Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 5,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $973,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Hershey Stock Performance

HSY traded down $5.72 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $163.90. 1,643,752 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,784,128. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $164.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $173.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target 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. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $162.50.

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.