238 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Purchased by Peterson Financial Group Inc.

Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 218.2% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 4.5 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $170.92 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $170.58 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.38. 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 company’s 50 day simple moving average is $187.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $191.79.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They set a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Citigroup lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.