9,863 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Bought by MOKAN Wealth Management Inc.

MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 9,863 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,671,000. Hershey makes up approximately 1.1% of MOKAN Wealth Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 30,461.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,100,130,000 after buying an additional 571,766 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 66.7% in 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 period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Hershey by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,348,127,000 after purchasing an additional 386,670 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Hershey by 31.3% during the third 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 during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.6% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company's stock valued at $841,476,000 after purchasing an additional 109,336 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares of the company's stock, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE HSY traded up $0.59 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $163.58. 685,423 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,002,304. The company has a market cap of $33.10 billion, a PE ratio of 15.01, a P/E/G ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $161.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $178.56.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors 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 3.35%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $164.00 to $149.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Hershey from $170.00 to $140.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Hershey from $184.00 to $148.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $164.15.

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.