Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Raises Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSYFree Report) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 102,126 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 502 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $17,295,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position 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. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 123.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 2.4 %

NYSE HSY opened at $158.40 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $32.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.25, a PEG ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $174.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $185.41. 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 Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $156.10 and a 52 week high of $211.92.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $170.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $182.21.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on HSY

Hershey Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Hershey (NYSE:HSY)

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