Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 17,703 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 23.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,573 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 17,703 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $17,754,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 218.2% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted 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. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $3.05 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $173.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 515,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,700,868. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $168.16 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The firm has a market cap of $35.07 billion, a PE ratio of 19.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.38. The business's 50-day moving average price is $185.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. UBS Group cut Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Barclays cut their price objective on Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $189.33.

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.