LaFleur & Godfrey LLC Raises Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

LaFleur & Godfrey LLC boosted its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,708 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,578 shares during the period. LaFleur & Godfrey LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $7,910,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cove Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $261,000. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 86.9% in the fourth quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 4,782 shares of the company's stock worth $810,000 after buying an additional 2,223 shares in the last quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. AMI Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,005 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,864,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 2,700 shares of the company's stock worth $457,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the period. Finally, Smart Money Group LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 9.2% in the 4th quarter. Smart Money Group LLC now owns 2,476 shares of the company's stock worth $419,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays decreased their price objective on Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $183.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a "sell" rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $176.42.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY traded down $1.20 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $152.82. The stock had a trading volume of 1,937,259 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,299,500. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $150.31 and a fifty-two week high of $211.92. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $171.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $184.39. 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.37 dividend. 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 3.59%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.13%.

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.