Savvy Advisors Inc. Acquires Shares of 1,367 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Savvy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 1,367 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $262,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the third quarter worth $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 218.2% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the first quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock opened at $184.45 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 1 year low of $171.67 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The company has a market cap of $37.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.38. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $188.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $192.10.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Argus downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, UBS Group lowered Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $189.33.

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.