Buttonwood Financial Advisors Inc. Grows Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Buttonwood Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,298 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Buttonwood Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp increased its position in Hershey by 5.8% in the third 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 last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $841,476,000 after acquiring an additional 109,336 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,753,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $717,606,000 after acquiring an additional 35,688 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 66.7% during the third 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. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Hershey by 3.2% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 964,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,027,000 after purchasing an additional 29,507 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $150.54 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.46 billion, a PE ratio of 17.34, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 12 month low of $147.60 and a 12 month high of $211.92. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $169.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $183.26.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on HSY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $183.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $171.79.

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.