The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Purchased by Coldstream Capital Management Inc.

Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 11.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,466 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $470,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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. grew its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 71.9% during the second quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $183.10 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $179.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $188.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $168.16 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The company has a market cap of $37.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.09, a P/E/G ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.37.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 63.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $185.17.

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.