Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Acquires 2,591 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 16.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,297 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,591 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,100,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $762,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company's stock valued at $549,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its position in Hershey by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $939,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in Hershey by 42.5% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 238 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company's stock worth $921,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $163.35.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY traded down $1.98 on Thursday, reaching $164.62. 216,782 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,779,485. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $169.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $170.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market cap of $33.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.07, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Hershey 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.