Baillie Gifford & Co. Grows Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Baillie Gifford & Co. boosted its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 31.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,287 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 21,940 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $17,206,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PFS Investments Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. PFS Investments Inc. now owns 1,159 shares of the company's stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Cassia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Hershey by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cassia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,675 shares of the company's stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Marshall Financial Group LLC increased its position in Hershey by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 3,960 shares of the company's stock worth $792,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA increased its position in Hershey by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Farmers & Merchants Trust Co of Chambersburg PA now owns 754 shares of the company's stock worth $141,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC increased its position in Hershey by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arthur M. Cohen & Associates LLC now owns 14,261 shares of the company's stock worth $2,853,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, insider Charles R. Raup sold 2,065 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.85, for a total transaction of $396,170.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 14,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,833,624.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Hershey news, insider Charles R. Raup sold 2,065 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $191.85, for a total value of $396,170.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 14,770 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,833,624.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 453 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.54, for a total value of $89,938.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,862 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $369,681.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,518 shares of company stock worth $1,066,414 in the last ninety days. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas lowered Hershey from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $208.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Bank of America downgraded Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $250.00 to $200.00 in a report on Friday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Hershey from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $191.00 to $183.00 in a report on Monday, February 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Hershey from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $235.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $224.81.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY traded down $2.53 during trading on Thursday, reaching $189.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,299,704 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,003,492. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.65 billion, a PE ratio of 20.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $193.85 and a 200 day moving average of $191.74. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $276.88.

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

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. This is a boost from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.19. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 60.55%.

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.