The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Holdings Raised by Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 49.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,647 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 18,515 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $10,672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,387,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $841,476,000 after purchasing an additional 109,336 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,487,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,327,000 after acquiring an additional 90,329 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 3.4% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 787,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $144,743,000 after purchasing an additional 25,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 23.2% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 783,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,962,000 after purchasing an additional 147,215 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Argus lowered Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They set a “sell” rating and a $185.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $189.33.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $174.81 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $35.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $184.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.01. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $168.16 and a twelve month 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.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 63.13%.

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.