Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Sells 3,954 Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. decreased its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 34.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,562 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,954 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,293,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Montag & Caldwell LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group cut their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays upped their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $158.84.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This trade represents a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total value of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $177.18 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $35.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 0.30. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $165.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $164.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 38.70% and a net margin of 15.32%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.07 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.57%.

Hershey Company 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.