Avanza Fonder AB Takes Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 14,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,517,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Woodstock Corp increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 6,896 shares of the company's stock worth $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 1,780 shares during the period. Salvus Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $280,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,634 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,293,000 after buying an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. Outlook Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,296 shares of the company's stock worth $389,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the period. Finally, ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 12.9% during the fourth quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,049 shares of the company's stock worth $516,000 after acquiring an additional 348 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $183.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a "sell" rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $176.42.

Hershey Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $1.20 on Friday, reaching $152.82. 1,937,259 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,299,500. The company has a 50 day moving average of $171.86 and a 200 day moving average of $184.39. 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 fifty-two week low of $150.31 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.92 billion, a PE ratio of 17.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.