Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Stock Position Trimmed by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 7.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 197,811 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,592 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of Hershey worth $33,831,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of Hershey by 31.4% in the 4th 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 period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 247,675 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $642,139,000 after purchasing an additional 47,394 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 453,428 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company's stock worth $267,396,000 after purchasing an additional 154,238 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:HSY traded up $0.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $167.49. The stock had a trading volume of 496,760 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,796,269. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $33.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.12 and a beta of 0.29. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $164.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $165.24.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business's revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.07 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of several research reports. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays increased their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $158.84.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.