Schroder Investment Management Group Decreases Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Schroder Investment Management Group cut its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 150,172 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,851 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned 0.07% of Hershey worth $25,330,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $80,978,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company's stock worth $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,348,127,000 after acquiring an additional 386,670 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.6% during 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 period. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $21,439,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Down 2.8 %

HSY traded down $4.71 during trading on Friday, reaching $162.12. The stock had a trading volume of 2,504,452 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,793,517. The company has a market capitalization of $32.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.87, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. 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 Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The stock's 50 day moving average is $165.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $172.69.

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Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's payout ratio is 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on HSY shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Barclays cut their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $162.50.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.