The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Position Increased by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 135.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,530 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,273 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avestar Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 6.0% during the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,563,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company’s stock valued at $921,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 5,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $973,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $169.26 on Wednesday. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $162.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $175.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.26 billion, a PE ratio of 15.53, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.24%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on HSY. DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $153.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Bernstein Bank cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $163.75.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This trade represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.