The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Purchased by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 9.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 22,793 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,991 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $3,860,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 31.4% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $80,978,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 5.6% during the fourth 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. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $27,902,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Hershey by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company's stock valued at $267,396,000 after buying an additional 154,238 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $156.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.37, a PEG 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 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $209.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $166.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $167.54.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 during 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 revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.07 EPS. Equities analysts expect 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 will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Bernstein Bank cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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 presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $161.40.

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.

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