Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 28,063 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 13.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 242,147 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,063 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.12% of Hershey worth $40,930,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in shares of Hershey by 2.5% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 51,267 shares of the company's stock worth $9,832,000 after acquiring an additional 1,241 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in Hershey by 18.3% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 6,470 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,241,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its holdings in Hershey by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 36,205 shares of the company's stock worth $6,943,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 20,465 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,925,000 after purchasing an additional 655 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $385,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on HSY. Bernstein Bank lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $162.50.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $0.43 on Thursday, reaching $164.38. The stock had a trading volume of 824,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,953,074. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The business's 50-day moving average price is $164.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.19. The stock has a market cap of $33.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is 50.28%.

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.