The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 18.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,997 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,194 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ethos Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 59.8% during the fourth quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $671,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $80,978,000. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 17,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,970,000 after purchasing an additional 860 shares during the period. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 3,994 shares of the company’s stock worth $676,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $185.11 on Monday. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $37.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $161.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $176.40.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

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 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 represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Bernstein Bank lowered 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 report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

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.