B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Makes New $1.34 Million Investment in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 6,970 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,337,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Hershey by 30,461.7% in 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 acquiring an additional 571,766 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 297.9% in the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,959,000 after purchasing an additional 537,419 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $82,123,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 230,077 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $189.33.

Hershey Stock Down 0.1 %

HSY stock opened at $174.81 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $168.16 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $184.51 and a 200 day moving average of $191.01.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders 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 dividend 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.