Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Acquired by Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 16.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 29,551 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,215 shares during the quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $5,378,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 123.0% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $179.32 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.37 billion, a PE ratio of 33.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.09. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $160.07 and a 12-month high of $239.48. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $186.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $198.05.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.09 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 108.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total transaction of $260,145.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,695 shares in the company, valued at $9,485,753.85. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HSY. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Hershey in a report on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Evercore raised Hershey from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $255.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $217.50.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.