Geode Capital Management LLC Has $876.43 Million Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,831,101 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 104,024 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.38% of Hershey worth $876,434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $194.19 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $197.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $198.45. The stock has a market cap of $39.39 billion, a PE ratio of 36.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $154.37 and a 1 year high of $239.48.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 108.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total transaction of $291,150.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 57,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,198,599.50. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Hershey from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.06.

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.