Madison Investment Advisors LLC Buys New Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in 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 and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 98,690 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,713,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock traded up $0.29 on Monday, hitting $170.51. The company had a trading volume of 997,697 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,758,341. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month 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. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $162.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $175.74. The stock has a market cap of $34.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.64, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

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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 net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. As a group, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $163.75.

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.