WESPAC Advisors LLC Has $869,000 Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

WESPAC Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,533 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $869,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 55.0% during 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 in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the third quarter valued at about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $174.81 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $168.16 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $184.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $190.96. The company has a market cap of $35.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 63.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays lowered their price target on Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Argus lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Citigroup cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.