UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Raises Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 30.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 15,603 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,643 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,642,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of 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 period. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted 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 valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bernstein Bank lowered 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. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $162.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $169.87 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.58, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. 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 business’s 50-day moving average is $164.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $173.84.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Hershey Company 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.