Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Acquires 896 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 13.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,634 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 896 shares during the quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,293,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Hershey by 123.9% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on HSY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $183.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $176.42.

Hershey Trading Down 0.8 %

HSY stock opened at $152.82 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $171.86 and its 200 day moving average is $184.39. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $150.31 and a 12-month high of $211.92. 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 stock has a market cap of $30.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.13%.

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.