Ameriprise Financial Inc. Has $44.15 Million Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. reduced its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 260,735 shares of the company's stock after selling 36,608 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned about 0.13% of Hershey worth $44,152,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th 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. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock traded down $1.36 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $161.94. The company had a trading volume of 1,461,385 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,770,337. The business has a 50 day moving average of $167.69 and a 200 day moving average of $168.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.86, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.07 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.38%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $161.40.

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.