William Allan Corp Purchases 274 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

William Allan Corp increased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,350 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the period. William Allan Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,410,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 30,461.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,100,130,000 after purchasing an additional 571,766 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 297.9% during the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,959,000 after buying an additional 537,419 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth approximately $82,123,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after acquiring an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1,194.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 249,347 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,837,000 after acquiring an additional 230,077 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE HSY opened at $174.09 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $182.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $190.28. 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 quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $35.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on HSY. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.33.

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.