Allianz SE Has $10.71 Million Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Key Points

• Allianz SE has significantly increased its holdings in Hershey Company by 811.1%, owning over $10.7 million worth of shares after acquiring additional shares in the first quarter.
• Hershey Company recently reported a 26% increase in revenue year-over-year, with earnings per share beating estimates at $1.21.
• The company's quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share will be paid on September 15th, reflecting a 2.9% dividend yield.

Allianz SE increased its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 811.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,613 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 55,741 shares during the period. Allianz SE's holdings in Hershey were worth $10,709,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 129.5% during the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $227,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,175. The trade was a 4.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 118,311 shares of company stock valued at $20,931,348. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $188.70 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.53. The business's 50 day moving average price is $170.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $166.21. The firm has a market cap of $38.23 billion, a PE ratio of 25.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.27.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 72.78%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on HSY. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $168.37.

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.

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