Schroder Investment Management Group Sells 22,851 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Schroder Investment Management Group cut its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 150,172 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,851 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Hershey were worth $25,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Woodstock Corp grew its position in Hershey by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $1,939,000. Ethos Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $671,000 after buying an additional 1,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 61.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after buying an additional 45,936 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 3.4 %

HSY opened at $163.90 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $164.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $173.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.04, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, March 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $183.00 target price on the stock. Bernstein Bank cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $162.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company 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.