Erste Asset Management GmbH Purchases 3,734 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 41,834 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,734 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Hershey were worth $7,562,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,067,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,469,855,000 after acquiring an additional 191,671 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 9,106,431 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,657,189,000 after acquiring an additional 169,660 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,253,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,356,681,000 after acquiring an additional 128,982 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,831,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $876,434,000 after acquiring an additional 104,024 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.9% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,614,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $301,947,000 after acquiring an additional 29,731 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY opened at $175.90 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $35.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.09. The company’s 50 day moving average is $193.82 and its 200 day moving average is $198.84. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $160.07 and a 12-month high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.09 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $249.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.06.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,198,599.50. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.