The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Holdings Lifted by Alhambra Investment Management LLC

Alhambra Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 12.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,840 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 426 shares during the period. Alhambra Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $650,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in 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 during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 61.9% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after buying an additional 45,936 shares during the last quarter. Pensionfund Sabic grew its position in Hershey by 55.6% in the fourth quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,423,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clark & Stuart Inc acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $654,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $152.82 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $30.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $171.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $184.39. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $150.31 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on HSY shares. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $183.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $176.42.

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.