Swiss National Bank Sells 4,100 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Swiss National Bank cut its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 0.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 438,100 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,100 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.22% of Hershey worth $84,019,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 218.2% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:HSY traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $170.13. The company had a trading volume of 989,176 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,702,938. The firm has a market cap of $34.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $168.18 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The business's fifty day moving average is $186.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Hershey's payout ratio is 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group cut 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 research note on Monday, October 7th. Argus lowered Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $189.33.

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.