Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by National Bank of Canada FI

National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 21.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 112,640 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,917 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in Hershey were worth $19,261,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of Hershey by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,110,126,000 after acquiring an additional 2,980,997 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 18,311.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,010,616 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,728,460,000 after acquiring an additional 1,005,127 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 6,721.3% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 819,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,150,000 after acquiring an additional 807,433 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 38.6% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,710,000 after acquiring an additional 453,428 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 7.7% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,991,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $853,720,000 after acquiring an additional 356,249 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $240,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 38,068 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,852,240. This trade represents a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $900,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 61,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,037,420. This represents a 7.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 118,311 shares of company stock valued at $20,931,348. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on HSY. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada cut 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $135.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $169.68.

Hershey Stock Down 1.8%

HSY stock opened at $184.21 on Monday. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $173.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $167.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.27.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.78%.

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.