Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Sells 1,667 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lowered its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 29.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,899 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,667 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $660,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Hershey by 248.0% during 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. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY traded down $4.03 on Friday, hitting $163.10. 2,230,798 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,780,667. 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 company has a market capitalization of $33.01 billion, a PE ratio of 14.96, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The business's fifty day moving average is $169.00 and its 200 day moving average is $169.15.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.07 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. Hershey's payout ratio is 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HSY. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $160.45.

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.