The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 97,172 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,434 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $16,456,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Enhancing Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $397,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 135.7% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 26,530 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,493,000 after purchasing an additional 15,273 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,509,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 10.5% during the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 31,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,254,000 after purchasing an additional 2,937 shares during the period. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 17,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,879,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.8 %

NYSE HSY opened at $167.38 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. 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 business’s fifty day simple moving average is $162.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $174.96. The firm has a market cap of $33.88 billion, a PE ratio of 15.36, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.27%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group dropped their price target 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. Bernstein Bank dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $163.75.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.