The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Holdings Raised by Quantinno Capital Management LP

Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 312.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,963 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 21,947 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP's holdings in Hershey were worth $4,905,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Capital International Investors increased its position 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 worth $2,110,126,000 after buying an additional 2,980,997 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 5.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 247,675 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company's stock worth $642,139,000 after purchasing an additional 47,394 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company's stock valued at $267,396,000 after acquiring an additional 154,238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,282,681 shares of the company's stock valued at $217,222,000 after purchasing an additional 87,498 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on HSY. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $161.40.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY traded down $0.82 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $155.73. The stock had a trading volume of 1,679,401 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,774,843. The company has a market cap of $31.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.29, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $209.65. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $166.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $167.54.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.07 earnings per share. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.52%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.57%.

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.