Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 4,890 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 71,373 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,890 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $13,307,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. First Financial Corp IN acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 125.3% during the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.54, for a total value of $306,810.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 37,228 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,614,615.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $882,405 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $197.00 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $195.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $192.35. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $178.82 and a 1-year high of $263.38. The firm has a market cap of $39.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.33. Hershey had a return on equity of 50.15% and a net margin of 18.13%. The business had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.96 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HSY. Barclays upped their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Hershey from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $235.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Hershey from $185.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $191.00 to $183.00 in a research note on Monday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $213.06.

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.