1,499 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Bought by B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC

B.O.S.S. Retirement Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 1,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $254,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 30,461.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,100,130,000 after purchasing an additional 571,766 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 66.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in Hershey by 5.8% during 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 period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 31.3% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 586,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,491,000 after purchasing an additional 139,831 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.6% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays decreased their price target on Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.79.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $150.54 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $30.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $169.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $183.26. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $147.60 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued 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 yield of 3.64%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 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.