Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC Increases Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 16.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,436 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the quarter. Hutchens & Kramer Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $243,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Hershey by 248.0% in the 4th quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $153.33 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $147.60 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $169.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $183.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $171.79.

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.