Harvest Investment Advisors LLC Increases Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Harvest Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 18.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,557 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,180 shares during the quarter. Harvest Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,449,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted 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 stake 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 in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.3% in the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the second quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 4,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $748,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of HSY opened at $174.70 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $35.35 billion, a PE ratio of 20.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.37. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $168.16 and a 52-week 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. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $180.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $188.74.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.14%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 14th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $188.41.

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.