The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale reduced its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 279,664 shares of the company's stock after selling 29,496 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned about 0.14% of Hershey worth $51,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.1% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 30,767 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,665,000 after purchasing an additional 916 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth about $238,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 28.8% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,566 shares of the company's stock valued at $339,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,057,990 shares of the company's stock worth $3,045,383,000 after acquiring an additional 216,715 shares during the period. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 10.8% in the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 32,183 shares of the company's stock worth $6,972,000 after acquiring an additional 3,129 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total value of $89,938.62. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, insider Charles R. Raup sold 2,065 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.85, for a total transaction of $396,170.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,770 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,833,624.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total transaction of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,862 shares in the company, valued at $369,681.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 5,518 shares of company stock valued at $1,066,414. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Bank of America downgraded Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $250.00 to $200.00 in a report on Friday, December 15th. Citigroup began coverage on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. They set a "neutral" rating and a $213.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, March 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $225.48.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock traded down $2.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $193.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,406,437 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,407,771. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $178.82 and a 12 month high of $276.88. The company has a 50 day moving average of $194.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $192.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 0.34.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $2.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.72 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 16.67% and a return on equity of 51.79%. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.02 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This is a boost from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 60.55%.

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.