Vanguard Group Inc. Has $3.25 Billion Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Vanguard Group Inc. cut its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,162,677 shares of the company's stock after selling 224,507 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.47% of Hershey worth $3,245,199,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its position in Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, City State Bank lifted its position in Hershey by 210.0% during the 4th quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $162.50.

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Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:HSY traded down $0.75 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $169.87. 1,075,173 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,788,113. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $34.38 billion, a PE ratio of 15.58, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $164.03 and a 200 day moving average of $173.84.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. On average, equities analysts expect 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 was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

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.