Deutsche Bank AG Has $94.49 Million Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 557,965 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 44,955 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 0.28% of Hershey worth $94,491,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in Hershey by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,110,126,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980,997 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $80,978,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $785,003,000 after acquiring an additional 247,675 shares during the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $27,902,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Hershey by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $267,396,000 after acquiring an additional 154,238 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $171.00 on Monday. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $168.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $168.29. The stock has a market cap of $34.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.69, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.07 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 67.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.