4,007 Shares in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Bought by Grandview Asset Management LLC

Grandview Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 4,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $679,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 55.0% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock traded down $1.66 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $155.62. The company had a trading volume of 2,179,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,907,604. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $173.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $185.24. The company has a market cap of $31.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.93, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 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. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $154.46 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.52%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a "sell" rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Hershey from $165.00 to $159.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $182.21.

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.