Russell Investments Group Ltd. Buys 142 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 90,362 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $15,298,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $785,003,000 after acquiring an additional 247,675 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.3% during 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 period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 711,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,409,000 after purchasing an additional 93,009 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $80,978,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Bernstein Bank lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $162.50.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $164.23 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $166.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $171.47. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market capitalization of $33.24 billion, a PE ratio of 15.07, a P/E/G ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.28.

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%. Analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 50.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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.