Check Capital Management Inc. CA raised its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 188,075 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,498 shares during the quarter. Hershey accounts for about 0.9% of Check Capital Management Inc. CA's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Check Capital Management Inc. CA owned about 0.09% of Hershey worth $32,166,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital International Investors grew its stake 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 valued at $2,110,126,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980,997 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 18,311.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,010,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,728,460,000 after buying an additional 1,005,127 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Hershey by 38.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,710,000 after acquiring an additional 453,428 shares during the period. Value Partners Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 1,266.3% during the 1st quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 214,794 shares of the company's stock worth $36,777,000 after purchasing an additional 199,073 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,902,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 6th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.
Get Our Latest Research Report on HSY
Hershey Stock Performance
Shares of HSY traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $164.90. The stock had a trading volume of 1,050,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,860,165. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $165.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $164.68. The firm has a market cap of $33.41 billion, a PE ratio of 20.33, a P/E/G ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.30. Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. Hershey's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.
Hershey Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.32%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.57%.
Insider Activity at Hershey
In other news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $227,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 54,107 shares of company stock valued at $9,008,118 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.
Hershey Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Featured Articles

Before you consider Hershey, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Hershey wasn't on the list.
While Hershey currently has a Reduce rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Thinking about investing in Meta, Roblox, or Unity? Enter your email to learn what streetwise investors need to know about the metaverse and public markets before making an investment.
Get This Free Report