Hershey Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:HSY)

The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors purchased 25,958 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 332% compared to the typical daily volume of 6,012 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $187.94.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter worth $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 218.2% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in 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. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter worth $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 5.4 %

HSY stock opened at $177.14 on Thursday. 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 is $180.57 and its 200 day moving average is $188.62. The stock has a market cap of $35.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.37. Hershey has a 1-year low of $168.16 and a 1-year high of $211.92.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.