The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Acquired by Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC

Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 16.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,436 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 207 shares during the period. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $243,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HSY. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 64.3% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 5,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,006,000 after buying an additional 2,140 shares during the period. MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the second quarter valued at $1,955,000. Creative Planning lifted its position in Hershey by 13.3% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 63,030 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,587,000 after purchasing an additional 7,382 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in Hershey by 8.7% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 16,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,060,000 after purchasing an additional 1,328 shares during the period. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 19.4% during the second quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.79.

Hershey Stock Up 1.7 %

HSY stock opened at $153.33 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $183.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $147.60 and a 52 week high of $211.92.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.13%.

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.