Norinchukin Bank The Has $1.08 Million Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Norinchukin Bank The boosted its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,376 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 440 shares during the period. Norinchukin Bank The’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,080,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in Hershey by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 34,468 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,610,000 after purchasing an additional 1,195 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 83.1% during the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 14,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,717,000 after buying an additional 6,433 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 86.8% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,156 shares of the company’s stock worth $222,000 after buying an additional 537 shares in the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in Hershey by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 8,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,582,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co boosted its holdings in Hershey by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 5,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,093,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $166.44 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $168.95 and a 200-day moving average of $170.10. The stock has a market cap of $33.69 billion, a PE ratio of 15.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on HSY. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $159.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price 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. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $163.35.

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.