The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System lowered its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 120,693 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,492 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.06% of Hershey worth $20,439,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 12.0% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,626 shares of the company's stock worth $445,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,668 shares of the company's stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Mcrae Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Mcrae Capital Management Inc. now owns 42,322 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,167,000 after purchasing an additional 5,720 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 86,625 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,879,000 after purchasing an additional 4,596 shares during the period. Finally, AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. now owns 2,072 shares of the company's stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $2.22 on Thursday, reaching $166.12. 1,526,834 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,010,997. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.24, a PEG ratio of 5.79 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The business's 50-day moving average is $161.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $178.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. 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 note on Thursday, January 23rd. Bernstein Bank decreased 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. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently 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.