W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co Boosts Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co increased its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 41,238 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 768 shares during the period. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co’s holdings in Hershey were worth $7,909,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 218.2% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 55.0% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Hershey during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the first quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.3 %

HSY stock opened at $169.99 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.40 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $169.10 and a one year high of $211.92. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $186.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $191.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.33.

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.