Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Has $9.27 Million Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lowered its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 7.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,169 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,300 shares during the period. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $9,265,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on HSY. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, DA Davidson boosted their target price on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $158.84.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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 position. The transaction 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 that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. The trade was a 13.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $170.40 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $164.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $165.57. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03. The company has a market capitalization of $34.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.63, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.07 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 3.22%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

About Hershey

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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