Integrated Investment Consultants LLC Takes Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Integrated Investment Consultants LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 11,125 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,134,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 55.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY increased its position in Hershey by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 7,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,411,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 3.7% in the second quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 4,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $748,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. UBS Group downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $189.33.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $174.00 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $168.16 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $185.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.28. The company has a market cap 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.13%.

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.