The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Stock Holdings Lifted by Conning Inc.

Conning Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 21.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,464 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 435 shares during the quarter. Conning Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $417,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in Hershey during the third quarter valued at about $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Woodstock Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 34.8% during the 4th quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 61.9% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after acquiring an additional 45,936 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic boosted its holdings in Hershey by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,423,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $154.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $31.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $164.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $180.52.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. On average, research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.54%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on HSY. Mizuho cut their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $166.35.

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.