HBW Advisory Services LLC Acquires 188 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

HBW Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,977 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 188 shares during the quarter. HBW Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,367,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 30,461.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,100,130,000 after acquiring an additional 571,766 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $82,123,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. 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. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in Hershey by 1,194.0% in the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 249,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,837,000 after buying an additional 230,077 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 2.2 %

NYSE HSY traded down $3.60 on Friday, reaching $158.62. The company had a trading volume of 1,371,933 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,428,094. 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 Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $157.80 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $32.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.27, a PEG ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $174.53 and its 200-day moving average is $185.61.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded 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 began coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, UBS Group downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $182.21.

Hershey Company 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.