Groupama Asset Managment Has $596,000 Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Groupama Asset Managment trimmed its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 52.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,532 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,968 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in Hershey were worth $596,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. OV Management LLC increased its position in Hershey by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. OV Management LLC now owns 8,742 shares of the company's stock worth $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 739 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company's stock worth $642,139,000 after acquiring an additional 47,394 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $285,000. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $356,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 260,554 shares of the company's stock worth $44,125,000 after purchasing an additional 42,499 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Piper Sandler lowered Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lowered their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $162.50.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock traded up $5.19 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $164.29. 1,830,541 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,800,423. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a market cap of $33.25 billion, a PE ratio of 15.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $166.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $171.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid 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 currently 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.