The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Position Raised by Focus Partners Wealth

Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 76.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 207,089 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 89,720 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth’s holdings in Hershey were worth $35,108,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital International Investors grew its position in Hershey by 31.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,110,126,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980,997 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $785,003,000 after buying an additional 247,675 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Hershey by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,139,000 after acquiring an additional 47,394 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in Hershey by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,396,000 after acquiring an additional 154,238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,282,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,222,000 after purchasing an additional 87,498 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $171.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $34.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s fifty day moving average is $168.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.38. 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 Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.07 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 67.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.