Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Sells 4,155 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC decreased its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 12.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,870 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,155 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $5,058,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HSY. Lido Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 232.6% during the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 6,665 shares of the company's stock worth $1,129,000 after purchasing an additional 4,661 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Hershey by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company's stock worth $267,396,000 after buying an additional 154,238 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Hershey by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 96,606 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,360,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 95.1% in the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,270 shares of the company's stock valued at $554,000 after acquiring an additional 1,594 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,960 shares of the company's stock worth $501,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE HSY traded up $3.35 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $170.01. 1,539,216 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,771,169. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $168.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $168.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market cap of $34.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.07 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on HSY. TD Cowen cut their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped 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. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $161.40.

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.