Invesco Ltd. Decreases Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Invesco Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,268,941 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,740 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned approximately 0.63% of Hershey worth $217,027,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock worth $2,110,126,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980,997 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 18,311.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,010,616 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,728,460,000 after acquiring an additional 1,005,127 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 6,721.3% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 819,446 shares of the company's stock valued at $140,150,000 after acquiring an additional 807,433 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $275,710,000 after acquiring an additional 453,428 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,991,639 shares of the company's stock valued at $853,720,000 after acquiring an additional 356,249 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE HSY traded up $1.07 during trading on Monday, hitting $179.06. 406,899 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,849,552. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $208.03. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $175.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.78, a P/E/G ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 72.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $900,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 61,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,037,420. This represents a 7.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the company's 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 118,311 shares of company stock worth $20,931,348. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HSY. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $168.83.

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.