Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $15.84 Million Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 22.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 93,504 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,092 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Hershey were worth $15,835,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Hershey by 248.0% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter worth approximately $46,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 61.7% in 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. Finally, City State Bank increased its holdings in Hershey by 210.0% in 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. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho lowered their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $173.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $35.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.82 and a beta of 0.37. The company’s 50-day moving average is $160.67 and its 200 day moving average is $178.37. 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 Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share 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, equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.