Hsbc Holdings PLC Buys 86,424 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 25.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 426,459 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 86,424 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.21% of Hershey worth $72,026,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 83.1% in the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 14,170 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,717,000 after purchasing an additional 6,433 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 86.8% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,156 shares of the company’s stock valued at $222,000 after buying an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. lifted its position in Hershey by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 8,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,582,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co now owns 5,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,093,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its position in shares of Hershey by 2.1% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 116,432 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,329,000 after acquiring an additional 2,391 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 1.6 %

HSY opened at $163.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $169.37 and a 200-day moving average of $169.90. 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 market capitalization of $33.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.03, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. On average, equities analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $159.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $163.35.

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.