Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Lowers Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lessened its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 584,761 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,804 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 0.29% of Hershey worth $99,029,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Hershey by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,348,127,000 after purchasing an additional 386,670 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $785,003,000 after purchasing an additional 247,675 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,801,145 shares of the company’s stock worth $642,139,000 after purchasing an additional 47,394 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp lifted its stake in Hershey by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 964,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $185,027,000 after acquiring an additional 29,507 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of HSY opened at $162.12 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $165.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $172.88. 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 0.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were given 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 3.38%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, March 24th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $183.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lowered their target price on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.