Check Capital Management Inc. CA Boosts Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Check Capital Management Inc. CA grew its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 34.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 184,577 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 46,915 shares during the period. Hershey accounts for 0.9% of Check Capital Management Inc. CA’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Check Capital Management Inc. CA’s holdings in Hershey were worth $31,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Woodstock Corp raised its position in shares of Hershey by 34.8% during the 4th quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $1,939,000. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in Hershey by 61.9% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after purchasing an additional 45,936 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of several recent research reports. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $159.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $157.99 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company’s 50-day moving average is $162.49 and its 200 day moving average is $179.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.