Capital International Inc. CA Has $12.86 Million Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Capital International Inc. CA increased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 88.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 75,934 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 35,696 shares during the quarter. Capital International Inc. CA's holdings in Hershey were worth $12,859,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its position in Hershey by 248.0% during the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective 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 target on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $159.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $163.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY traded down $2.72 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $163.88. 760,740 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,781,545. The stock has a market cap of $33.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The firm's 50-day moving average is $169.25 and its 200-day moving average is $170.06. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.34%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

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.