The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank decreased its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 468,600 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,100 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.23% of Hershey worth $87,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 2.3% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 67,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,581,000 after purchasing an additional 1,507 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 21.8% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth about $786,000. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 2.7% in the third quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 72,069 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,420,000 after acquiring an additional 1,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hendley & Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $6,211,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.0 %

HSY stock opened at $197.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $40.37 billion, a PE ratio of 19.62, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.33. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $178.82 and a 1 year high of $275.89. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $191.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $190.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 51.79% and a net margin of 16.67%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.96 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.77%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Barclays upped their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Hershey from $213.00 to $199.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Edward Jones restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, April 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $212.78.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total value of $296,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 40,228 shares in the company, valued at $7,961,121.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.