Baillie Gifford & Co. Purchases 39,951 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Baillie Gifford & Co. grew its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 27.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 183,716 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,951 shares during the quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned about 0.09% of Hershey worth $31,112,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter worth $46,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, City State Bank grew its holdings in Hershey by 210.0% during the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $157.99 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $162.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $179.11. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group decreased their price target on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays decreased their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at approximately $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.