MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. Invests $1.67 Million in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 9,863 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,671,000. Hershey makes up about 1.1% of MOKAN Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Hershey by 248.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its stake in Hershey by 210.0% in the fourth quarter. City State Bank now owns 310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Bernstein Bank reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $177.00 to $146.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.15.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $157.99 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $162.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $179.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a return on equity of 44.77% and a net margin of 19.83%. On average, analysts predict that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total transaction of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $396,936. The trade was a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.