1,758 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Purchased by Investment Management Corp VA ADV

Investment Management Corp VA ADV acquired a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,758 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $298,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock worth $2,110,126,000 after buying an additional 2,980,997 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company's stock worth $785,003,000 after acquiring an additional 247,675 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company's stock worth $642,139,000 after acquiring an additional 47,394 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 38.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company's stock worth $275,710,000 after acquiring an additional 453,428 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Hershey by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company's stock valued at $267,396,000 after purchasing an additional 154,238 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $1.13 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $157.10. The company had a trading volume of 444,164 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,785,412. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $166.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 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 $208.03.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Mizuho decreased their target price on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "underweight" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $162.15.

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.