Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Takes $1.51 Million Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 8,908 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,509,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company's stock valued at $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Woodstock Corp raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 34.8% during the 4th quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company's stock worth $1,168,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares during the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $1,939,000. Finally, Ethos Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company's stock worth $671,000 after buying an additional 1,483 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $164.67.

Hershey Trading Down 1.7 %

HSY stock traded down $2.92 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $165.09. 1,409,398 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,752,265. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $162.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $174.59. The company has a market capitalization of $33.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.15, a PEG 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.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS 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 3.32%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

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.