Entropy Technologies LP Acquires Shares of 6,450 The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 6,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,237,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 218.2% during the second 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. grew its position in Hershey by 55.0% during the second 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 period. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $184.45 on Thursday. 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 Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $171.67 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $188.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $192.10. The firm has a market cap of $37.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.25, a PEG ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group downgraded Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, 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.