Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Stock Position Raised by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 3.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 89,312 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,687 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $15,275,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp grew its position in 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 boosted its position in Hershey by 2.6% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $473,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A increased its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $939,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 42.5% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 238 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Trading Down 0.3%

HSY opened at $167.00 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. The company has a market cap of $33.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.59, a PEG ratio of 6.12 and a beta of 0.29. 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 company's 50 day moving average is $164.65 and its 200-day moving average is $165.24.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.07 EPS. The company's revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated 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 trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.84.

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.

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