6,450 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Purchased by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 6,450 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,237,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.2% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 54,540 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,608,000 after buying an additional 1,168 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 7.5% during the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 1,966 shares of the company's stock valued at $382,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 7.8% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 165,267 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,144,000 after purchasing an additional 11,967 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Hershey by 22.4% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,936 shares of the company's stock worth $36,943,000 after purchasing an additional 34,725 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scout Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 75.0% during the 1st quarter. Scout Investments Inc. now owns 56,239 shares of the company's stock worth $11,151,000 after buying an additional 24,100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded down $5.68 during trading on Thursday, reaching $178.77. The company had a trading volume of 2,257,655 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,697,749. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $188.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.05. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $171.67 and a one year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $36.16 billion, a PE ratio of 21.25, a PEG ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup downgraded shares of Hershey from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. UBS Group downgraded shares of Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Argus cut Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Five 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, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $189.33.

About Hershey

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.