Hershey Company (The) $HSY Stock: Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Boosts Stake

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. raised its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 188,525 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,215 shares during the quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $29,714,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its stake in Hershey by 13.1% in the 3rd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 8,792 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares in the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 8,661 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,365,000 after purchasing an additional 566 shares in the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in Hershey by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $574,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. increased its stake in Hershey by 38.5% during the 3rd quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. now owns 3,741 shares of the company’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davis Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 20.1% in the third quarter. Davis Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $478,000 after buying an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $174.12 on Friday. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $156.16 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $168.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $187.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market cap of $35.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.08.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.53. The firm had revenue of $3.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.25 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 14.63% and a return on equity of 37.12%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $1.4520 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 65.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $170.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings cut Hershey from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank set a $173.00 target price on Hershey in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $193.81.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company is a global confectionery company best known for its chocolate and candy products. Milton S. Hershey established the Hershey Chocolate Company in 1894, and the company is headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Its portfolio includes chocolate bars, packaged candy, gum, mints and other snacks. Well-known brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kisses, Jolly Rancher and Ice Breakers; the company also sells salty snacks under brands such as SkinnyPop and Dot’s Pretzels. Hershey sells its products primarily in North America and also serves consumers in international markets through its operations and distribution partners.