UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Has $275.71 Million Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 38.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,628,047 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 453,428 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.80% of Hershey worth $275,710,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Waverly Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 48.8% in the 4th quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 2,635 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 864 shares during the period. Wallace Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Wallace Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,770 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,824,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Wealth Strategies LLC. bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $1,735,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $8,818,000. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,727,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on HSY. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays raised their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $161.40.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY traded up $2.21 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $157.56. 759,935 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,782,993. 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 $208.03. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $164.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $166.76. The firm has a market cap of $31.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.