Erste Asset Management GmbH Boosts Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 9.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,834 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,734 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Hershey were worth $7,562,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Syon Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $559,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Abacus Planning Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $211.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. TD Cowen raised shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.06.

Hershey Trading Down 4.7%

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $175.90 on Tuesday. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $160.07 and a 1 year high of $239.48. The stock has a market cap of $35.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.09. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $193.82 and a 200 day moving average of $198.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. Hershey’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.09 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total transaction of $291,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 57,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,198,599.50. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.