The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI decreased its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,337 shares of the company’s stock after selling 894 shares during the quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,791,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the first quarter worth about $35,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 281.0% in the 1st quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 381 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 10.5% during 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 during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 18.4% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 20,822 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,050,000 after acquiring an additional 3,242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 294,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,243,000 after acquiring an additional 11,720 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group lowered Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.33.

Hershey Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $174.86 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $168.16 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $35.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $185.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.16.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 63.13%.

Hershey Company 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.