DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main Lowers Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main trimmed its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 42.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,308 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,398 shares during the quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,423,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 0.5 %

HSY stock opened at $171.00 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $168.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $168.38. 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 company has a market capitalization of $34.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.07 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast 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 Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. DA Davidson raised their price objective on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $161.40.

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.