Empire Financial Management Company LLC Has $2.87 Million Stock Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Empire Financial Management Company LLC lifted its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,956 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,603 shares during the quarter. Empire Financial Management Company LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $2,868,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,466 shares of the company's stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,753,751 shares of the company's stock worth $717,606,000 after acquiring an additional 35,688 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in Hershey by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 34,468 shares of the company's stock worth $6,610,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195 shares during the last quarter. Executive Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $7,731,000. Finally, Adalta Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 100.6% during the 3rd quarter. Adalta Capital Management LLC now owns 1,444 shares of the company's stock worth $277,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Down 3.3 %

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded down $6.20 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $180.99. The stock had a trading volume of 4,553,890 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,804,666. 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 firm has a market cap of $36.62 billion, a PE ratio of 20.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $180.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $188.69. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $168.16 and a twelve month high of $211.92.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on HSY. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $183.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group lowered shares of Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Argus lowered shares of Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a "sell" rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $187.94.

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.