UMB Bank n.a. Raises Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 225.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,777 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 32,422 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $8,000,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Capital International Investors increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 2,980,997 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 247,675 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company's stock valued at $642,139,000 after acquiring an additional 47,394 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 38.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company's stock worth $275,710,000 after acquiring an additional 453,428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company's stock worth $267,396,000 after acquiring an additional 154,238 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $158.84.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $161.83 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $32.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.85, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.29. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $163.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $165.80. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.07 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

About Hershey

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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