Schulhoff & Co. Inc. Increases Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Schulhoff & Co. Inc. grew its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 15.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,181 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the period. Schulhoff & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $802,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position 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 during the period. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.8% in 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 buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HSY. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Barclays cut their price objective on Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.33.

Hershey Stock Up 1.6 %

Hershey stock opened at $184.45 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.25, a PEG ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $188.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $192.05. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $171.67 and a twelve month high of $211.92.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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 $1.37 dividend. 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 2.97%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.13%.

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.