The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 83.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,430 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,074 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $750,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in Hershey by 31.4% during 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 last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $80,978,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 38.6% in 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 buying an additional 453,428 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $785,003,000 after buying an additional 247,675 shares during the period. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,902,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE:HSY traded down $0.67 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $160.65. 2,073,023 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,784,156. The company has a fifty day moving average of $163.95 and a 200 day moving average of $166.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03. The company has a market capitalization of $32.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.74, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.07 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Mizuho lowered 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. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Bernstein Bank lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.84.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.