Schroder Investment Management Group Sells 22,851 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Schroder Investment Management Group trimmed its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 150,172 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,851 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group owned about 0.07% of Hershey worth $25,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho cut their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. DA Davidson cut their price target on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, March 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $183.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $162.50.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the 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 sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Down 3.4 %

Hershey stock opened at $163.90 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.04, a PEG ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $164.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $173.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.28%.

Hershey Company 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.