The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Bought by Advisors Asset Management Inc.

Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 18.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,085 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,464 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $5,386,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the first quarter worth about $35,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 281.0% in the first quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 381 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 10.5% in the first quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $629,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.1% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 294,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,243,000 after purchasing an additional 11,720 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.1% in the first quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 16,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,257,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $174.86 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $168.16 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.14, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $185.03 and its 200-day moving average is $191.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on HSY. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced 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, Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average 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.