The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Valley Brook Capital Group Inc.

Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. decreased its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,857 shares of the company’s stock after selling 210 shares during the quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $740,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 218.2% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 55.0% in the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the first quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 71.9% during the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. UBS Group downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Citigroup cut shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.61.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $177.67. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 527,435 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,667,274. The stock has a market cap of $35.94 billion, a PE ratio of 19.65, a PEG ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $189.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $192.34. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $173.10 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.89%.

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.