Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Makes New Investment in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 121,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,595,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.06% of Hershey at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Bernard Wealth Management Corp. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $53,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $121,000. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $318,000. Ascent Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 8,552 shares of the company's stock worth $1,448,000 after acquiring an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were 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 owns 2,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $470,387.34. This represents a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $0.72 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $161.41. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,063,695 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,781,274. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $163.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $166.08. The stock has a market cap of $32.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 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 previous year, the company posted $3.07 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect 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 issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $155.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Bernstein Bank decreased their price target 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. UBS Group lowered their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $158.84.

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.