BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. Has $22.19 Million Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. reduced its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 120,682 shares of the company’s stock after selling 147,327 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. owned approximately 0.06% of Hershey worth $22,185,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 218.2% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock traded up $1.36 on Friday, reaching $193.06. 1,316,082 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,794,822. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.64. The Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $178.82 and a 12 month high of $219.92. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $192.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $193.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.04 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.36.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a return on equity of 45.36% and a net margin of 16.76%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.01 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 9.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 16th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.31%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at approximately $644,912.46. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,538 shares of company stock valued at $667,793. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $204.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They set a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Argus lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Hershey from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $202.79.

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.