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

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,162,677 shares of the company’s stock after selling 224,507 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.47% of Hershey worth $3,245,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HSY. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Woodstock Corp lifted its position in Hershey by 34.8% in the 4th quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $1,939,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $671,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.9% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,052,000 after purchasing an additional 45,936 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 corporate insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $165.09 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $33.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.15, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $163.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $174.34. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued 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 3.32%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. TD Cowen decreased their price target 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. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. 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 report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seventeen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.67.

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.