Check Capital Management Inc. CA Acquires 46,915 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Check Capital Management Inc. CA raised its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 34.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 184,577 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 46,915 shares during the period. Hershey makes up 0.9% of Check Capital Management Inc. CA's portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Check Capital Management Inc. CA owned approximately 0.09% of Hershey worth $31,258,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 23.3% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 333 shares of the company's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.6% in the third quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 4,130 shares of the company's stock worth $792,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Avestar Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 6.0% in the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company's stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 6,007 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,152,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parthenon LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Parthenon LLC now owns 24,240 shares of the company's stock worth $4,649,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Bernstein Bank decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Five equities 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 has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $164.15.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $0.89 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $163.88. 1,391,897 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,026,145. The stock has a market cap of $33.16 billion, a PE ratio of 15.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 0.37. The business's fifty day moving average is $161.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.56. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued 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 3.34%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Hershey Company 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.