National Pension Service Grows Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

National Pension Service lifted its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 393,368 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,392 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned about 0.19% of Hershey worth $73,340,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,911,173 shares of the company's stock worth $2,983,427,000 after acquiring an additional 222,960 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Hershey by 143.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,465,403 shares of the company's stock valued at $496,039,000 after purchasing an additional 1,453,819 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Hershey by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,779,549 shares of the company's stock valued at $356,052,000 after purchasing an additional 35,393 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,170,830 shares of the company's stock worth $234,260,000 after buying an additional 8,344 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 2.2% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 997,329 shares of the company's stock worth $198,085,000 after buying an additional 21,229 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $200.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,470,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,984,141. The company has a market cap of $40.81 billion, a PE ratio of 19.83, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.97. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $192.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $190.97. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $178.82 and a 12-month high of $275.62.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $3.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 50.15% and a net margin of 18.13%. The firm's revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.96 EPS. Analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.74%. Hershey's payout ratio is 54.31%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.83, for a total transaction of $278,745.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 38,728 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,196,824.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Edward Jones reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Hershey from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $235.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 29th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Hershey from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $208.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, March 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $213.06.

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.