The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Kingsview Wealth Management LLC

Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,151 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,563,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in 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. increased its stake in Hershey by 55.0% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 71.9% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Up 0.4 %

HSY opened at $175.49 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.51 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.19 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 Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $168.16 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $184.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $190.73.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.12%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 63.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.