Tobam Boosts Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Tobam raised its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 36.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,890 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,301 shares during the quarter. Hershey comprises 2.9% of Tobam's holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position. Tobam's holdings in Hershey were worth $6,651,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Hershey by 5.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 247,675 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Hershey by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $642,139,000 after purchasing an additional 47,394 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 453,428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Hershey by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company's stock worth $267,396,000 after purchasing an additional 154,238 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value 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 $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the company'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 now directly owns 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $31,134,739.20. The trade was a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.84.

Hershey Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of Hershey stock traded down $3.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $169.06. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,834,351 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,793,369. The stock has a market cap of $34.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.29. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $163.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $165.73. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The business's revenue was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.07 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. 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 3.24%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

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.