Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Shares Acquired by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR increased its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 55.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 56,218 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 20,108 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Hershey were worth $9,615,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Capital International Investors grew its stake 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 valued at $2,110,126,000 after buying an additional 2,980,997 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1.3% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 453,428 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Hershey by 10.8% in the fourth 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. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,282,681 shares of the company's stock valued at $217,222,000 after purchasing an additional 87,498 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1%

HSY opened at $164.82 on Monday. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03. 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 stock has a market cap of $33.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.32, a P/E/G ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.30. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $165.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.07 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, July 6th. DA Davidson increased 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. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,994 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction 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 owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 54,107 shares of company stock valued at $9,008,118 in the last quarter. 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.

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