KBC Group NV Has $13.32 Million Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

KBC Group NV decreased its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 7.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,053 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,424 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Hershey were worth $13,316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $9,633,000. Prudential PLC grew its stake in Hershey by 237.3% in the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 7,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after purchasing an additional 5,620 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial increased its position in Hershey by 38,266.7% in the 4th quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 5,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 5,740 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $2,744,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 126.4% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 84,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,508,000 after purchasing an additional 47,017 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total value of $260,145.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 54,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,485,753.85. This trade represents a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $170.53 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.11. The business has a 50-day moving average of $181.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $197.08. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $161.43 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.09 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 108.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America reduced their price target on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 25th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $211.89.

About Hershey

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.