BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Buys 523 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 9.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,196 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 523 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,049,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the period. Woodstock Corp grew its position in Hershey by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $1,939,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company’s stock valued at $671,000 after acquiring an additional 1,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 55.6% during the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,423,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $163.35.

Hershey Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $167.40 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 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. The company has a market cap of $33.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.36, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $169.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $170.08.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.