KFG Wealth Management LLC Purchases 765 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

KFG Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 21.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,357 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 765 shares during the period. KFG Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $738,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HSY. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 30,461.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,100,130,000 after purchasing an additional 571,766 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Hershey by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,348,127,000 after buying an additional 386,670 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 31.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 586,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,491,000 after buying an additional 139,831 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 2.6% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company’s stock valued at $841,476,000 after buying an additional 109,336 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on HSY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $183.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.79.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $150.54 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $169.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $183.26. The firm has a market cap of $30.46 billion, a PE ratio of 17.34, a PEG ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $147.60 and a 1-year high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

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.