The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Acquired by Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. grew its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 58,469 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $9,902,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 27,065 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,583,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co raised its stake in Hershey by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 5,833 shares of the company’s stock worth $988,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in Hershey by 86.4% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 12,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,200,000 after acquiring an additional 6,021 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $1,692,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on HSY. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Hershey Stock Up 0.2 %

HSY stock opened at $172.68 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $34.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.84, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $160.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 EPS for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

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.