Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Purchases 30,570 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 317.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,209 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 30,570 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,809,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after buying 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. grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, City State Bank grew its position in shares of Hershey by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company's stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of HSY stock traded down $1.75 on Wednesday, reaching $167.67. 1,705,125 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,065,614. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week 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 has a market capitalization of $33.94 billion, a PE ratio of 15.38, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $162.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $175.43.

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Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. DA Davidson cut their target price on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Bernstein Bank cut their target price on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $163.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.