Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Bought by Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 29,551 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,215 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $5,378,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 123.0% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $179.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.24. Hershey Company has a one year low of $160.07 and a one year high of $239.48. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $186.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $198.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.39, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.09.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.09 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total transaction of $260,145.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,485,753.85. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of several recent research reports. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Mizuho cut their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Hershey from $211.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $217.50.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.