The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Mutual of America Capital Management LLC

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 18,161 shares of the company’s stock after selling 434 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,483,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HSY. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 10.0% in the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 320,680 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,951,000 after acquiring an additional 29,246 shares during the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 20.1% during the second quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA now owns 15,716 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,986,000 after purchasing an additional 2,635 shares in the last quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 53.5% in the third quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. now owns 64,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,414,000 after buying an additional 22,562 shares during the last quarter. Oak Harvest Investment Services increased its holdings in Hershey by 10.8% in the third quarter. Oak Harvest Investment Services now owns 38,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,331,000 after buying an additional 3,732 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB acquired a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter valued at $612,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Barclays cut 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 note on Monday, November 11th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $189.33.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $174.81 on Friday. 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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $184.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $191.01. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $168.16 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $35.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued 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 of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.