Freedom Investment Management Inc. Has $820,000 Stock Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Freedom Investment Management Inc. increased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,275 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $820,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 55.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY lifted its position in Hershey by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 7,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,411,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $484,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 4,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $748,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. UBS Group cut shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They set a “sell” rating and a $185.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $189.33.

Hershey Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of HSY stock opened at $174.09 on Friday. The Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $168.16 and a 12-month high of $211.92. The firm has a market cap of $35.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.06, a PEG ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.38. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $182.58 and a 200-day moving average of $190.28.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. Hershey’s dividend 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.