National Pension Service Cuts Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

National Pension Service decreased its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 49.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 229,273 shares of the company’s stock after selling 226,795 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.11% of Hershey worth $38,827,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter worth approximately $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in 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 last quarter. Woodstock Corp boosted its holdings in Hershey by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780 shares during the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,939,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 61.9% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after purchasing an additional 45,936 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $172.68 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $160.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $177.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $164.15.

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.