Hsbc Holdings PLC Purchases 86,424 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 25.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 426,459 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 86,424 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.21% of Hershey worth $72,026,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Hershey by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,110,126,000 after buying an additional 2,980,997 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $785,003,000 after purchasing an additional 247,675 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 47,394 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,282,681 shares of the company's stock worth $217,222,000 after purchasing an additional 87,498 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,096,767 shares of the company's stock worth $185,743,000 after purchasing an additional 132,019 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock traded down $0.81 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $163.18. 981,800 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,783,201. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $169.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $169.61. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The firm has a market cap of $33.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.97, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. Research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on HSY shares. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped 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. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $163.35.

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.