Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Holdings Decreased by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 7.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,774 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,214 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $6,632,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,110,126,000 after acquiring an additional 2,980,997 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 18,311.7% during the first 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 last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 38.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 453,428 shares during the last quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1,266.3% during the first quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 214,794 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,777,000 after acquiring an additional 199,073 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,902,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY traded up $0.18 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $164.82. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,080,547 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,806,630. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The company has a market capitalization of $33.39 billion, a PE ratio of 20.32, a PEG ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.30. The business's 50-day moving average is $165.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $164.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.07 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal 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 paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 54,107 shares of company stock valued at $9,008,118. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.