IFM Investors Pty Ltd Boosts Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 9.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,925 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,757 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Hershey were worth $5,460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its stake in Hershey by 2.4% in the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company's stock valued at $460,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company's stock worth $762,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,768 shares of the company's stock worth $473,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 2,407 shares of the company's stock valued at $412,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A lifted its position in Hershey by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company's stock valued at $549,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Mizuho decreased their target price on Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock traded down $5.57 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $169.98. 1,919,120 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,795,906. The company has a market capitalization of $34.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.96, a P/E/G ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 0.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.81. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03.

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. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.07 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,333 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $233,275.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 39,402 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,895,350. This trade represents a 3.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $227,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,431,175. This represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 54,107 shares of company stock valued at $9,008,118. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

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.