Two Sigma Investments LP Has $1.52 Million Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Two Sigma Investments LP cut its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 36.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,990 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,210 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,522,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,460,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,110,126,000 after buying an additional 2,980,997 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $80,978,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,635,390 shares of the company’s stock worth $785,003,000 after buying an additional 247,675 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $27,902,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,578,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $267,396,000 after buying an additional 154,238 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $147.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 14th. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $183.00 to $177.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.84.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $163.10 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $33.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.90 and a beta of 0.32. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $163.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $166.06. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.07 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.57%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total transaction of $5,018,568.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 193,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,994 shares in the company, valued at $470,387.34. This trade represents a 24.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey 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.