The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 4,739.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 89,475 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 87,626 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $17,160,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted 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 worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY lifted its position in Hershey by 0.8% in the third quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 7,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,411,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 2.3% during 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. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in 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. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.2 %

HSY stock opened at $176.13 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $182.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $189.81. The company has a market cap of $35.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.29, a PEG ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $168.16 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 63.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HSY. Bank of America decreased their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Argus cut shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. UBS Group cut Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.33.

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.