The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Pensionfund Sabic

Pensionfund Sabic lifted its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 55.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,400 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Pensionfund Sabic’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp increased its position in Hershey by 5.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,348,127,000 after buying an additional 386,670 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 2.6% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $841,476,000 after acquiring an additional 109,336 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,753,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,606,000 after acquiring an additional 35,688 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd 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. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in Hershey by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 964,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,027,000 after purchasing an additional 29,507 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HSY. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $183.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $175.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $184.61.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY traded down $1.68 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $167.35. The stock had a trading volume of 234,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 629,943. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $175.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $186.16. The company has a market cap of $33.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $166.69 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.13%.

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.