Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 796 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 68,287 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 796 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $11,564,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $762,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A raised its holdings in Hershey by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. OLD Point Trust & Financial Services N A now owns 3,240 shares of the company’s stock valued at $549,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 5,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $939,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $921,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Waterfront Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.4% during 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 during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $169.87 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.58, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $211.92. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $164.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $173.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $183.00 price target on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $162.50.

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.