Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Has $653,000 Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 14.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,404 shares of the company’s stock after selling 566 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $653,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Hershey by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 54,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,608,000 after purchasing an additional 1,168 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 7.5% during the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $382,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 32.4% during the first quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 12,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,426,000 after acquiring an additional 3,052 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 31.3% during the first quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 3,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $715,000 after acquiring an additional 876 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 33.3% during the first quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $170.92 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $170.58 and a 52-week high of $211.92. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $187.89 and a 200 day moving average of $191.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 target price for the company. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus 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.