B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC Takes Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 1,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $254,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. State Street Corp raised its stake in Hershey by 5.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,348,127,000 after buying an additional 386,670 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted 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 purchasing an additional 109,336 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 1.0% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,753,751 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,606,000 after acquiring an additional 35,688 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted 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 period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 964,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,027,000 after acquiring an additional 29,507 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $150.54 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $30.46 billion, a PE ratio of 17.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s 50 day moving average is $169.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $183.26. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $147.60 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.