Prudential PLC Has $18.66 Million Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Prudential PLC boosted its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 21.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,084 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 17,890 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $18,660,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. AdvisorShares Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 47.5% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 18,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,490,000 after purchasing an additional 6,032 shares in the last quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC now owns 7,450 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,389,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Hershey by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 4,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $826,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Inc. AR raised its position in shares of Hershey by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 8,321 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,551,000 after acquiring an additional 1,279 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total transaction of $296,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 40,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,961,121.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock worth $882,405 in the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 9th. BNP Paribas downgraded Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $208.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Barclays lifted their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $213.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, March 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $210.56.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY traded down $1.26 during trading on Friday, reaching $196.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 715,656 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,507,106. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.65 billion, a PE ratio of 19.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $195.83 and a 200 day moving average of $192.55. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $178.82 and a one year high of $263.29.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.74 by $0.33. Hershey had a return on equity of 50.15% and a net margin of 18.13%. The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.96 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.31%.

Hershey Profile

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.