Integrated Investment Consultants LLC Acquires New Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Integrated Investment Consultants LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 11,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,134,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.5% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,487,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,327,000 after purchasing an additional 90,329 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 66.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Hershey by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 787,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,743,000 after acquiring an additional 25,780 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 23.2% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 783,128 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,962,000 after purchasing an additional 147,215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 297.9% during the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,959,000 after acquiring an additional 537,419 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 2.2 %

HSY opened at $174.00 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $185.50 and its 200-day moving average is $191.28. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $168.16 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.05, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Hershey from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.