Prospera Financial Services Inc Buys 163 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,634 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,232,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 55.0% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.8% in the third quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 7,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,411,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.7% in the second quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.3% in the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $484,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the second quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 4,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $748,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 2.2 %

HSY opened at $174.00 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $35.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.05, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.38. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $185.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.28. 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 Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $168.16 and a 12 month high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 63.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $189.33.

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.