The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV reduced its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 53,598 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,103 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Hershey were worth $9,077,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after acquiring an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Woodstock Corp boosted its holdings in Hershey by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after purchasing an additional 1,780 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 61.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,052,000 after purchasing an additional 45,936 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic increased its holdings in Hershey by 55.6% during the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,423,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE HSY opened at $149.41 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $147.60 and a one year high of $211.92. The firm has a market cap of $30.23 billion, a PE ratio of 17.21, a P/E/G ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $168.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $182.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.67%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $168.00 to $153.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.79.

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.