Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Sells 566 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 14.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,404 shares of the company’s stock after selling 566 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $653,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on HSY. Barclays dropped their price target on Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $189.33.

Hershey Trading Down 4.5 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $170.92 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $170.58 and a twelve month high of $211.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $187.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $191.96.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $1.37 dividend. 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 3.21%. 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.