The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 9.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,346 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,079 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in Hershey were worth $9,542,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company's stock valued at $186,571,000 after acquiring an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Woodstock Corp raised its stake in Hershey by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,168,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $1,939,000. Finally, Ethos Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 59.8% in the fourth quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company's stock valued at $671,000 after buying an additional 1,483 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly 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. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $171.67 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $34.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.75, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $162.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $176.14.

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Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 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%. Research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. Hershey's payout ratio is 50.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on HSY. Bernstein Bank cut their price target on Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. 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 dropped their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $164.15.

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.

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