Triangle Securities Wealth Management Invests $410,000 in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Triangle Securities Wealth Management acquired a new position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,420 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $410,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 61.7% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 262 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Hershey by 123.9% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 300 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Hershey from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. UBS Group dropped their price target on Hershey from $189.00 to $163.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $176.42.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock traded down $1.20 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $152.82. 1,937,259 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,299,500. The company has a market cap of $30.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.61, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $171.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $184.39. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $150.31 and a 52-week high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.59%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Hershey's payout ratio is 63.13%.

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.