The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC

Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC increased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,725 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,482,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 55.0% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY grew its holdings in Hershey by 0.8% during the third 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 last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 4,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY traded up $1.06 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $179.57. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 359,987 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,682,966. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $192.13. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $171.67 and a 1-year high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $36.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a PEG ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.05%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on HSY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.