KBC Group NV Cuts Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

KBC Group NV trimmed its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 53,598 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,103 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Hershey were worth $9,077,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after acquiring an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Woodstock Corp raised its stake in Hershey by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,168,000 after buying an additional 1,780 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 61.9% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,052,000 after buying an additional 45,936 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic grew its position in shares of Hershey by 55.6% during the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,423,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $149.41 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $147.60 and a one year high of $211.92. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $168.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $182.73. The company has a market capitalization of $30.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.21, a PEG ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Hershey from $150.00 to $134.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho cut their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, 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 report on Thursday, January 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.