Amiral Gestion Buys Shares of 12,933 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Amiral Gestion bought a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 12,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,190,000. Hershey accounts for approximately 1.4% of Amiral Gestion’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital International Investors lifted its position in Hershey by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,110,126,000 after purchasing an additional 2,980,997 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.6% in the 4th 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. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $642,139,000 after acquiring an additional 47,394 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 38.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $275,710,000 after acquiring an additional 453,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake 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 valued at $267,396,000 after acquiring an additional 154,238 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $155.51 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03. The company has a market capitalization of $31.51 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $164.77 and its 200-day moving average is $167.01.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted 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 net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.81 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.07 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.52%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. DA Davidson upped their price target on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.