Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC Acquires 475 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC increased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 15.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,490 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 475 shares during the quarter. Bridge Creek Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $591,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth $1,337,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 61.9% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 120,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,052,000 after purchasing an additional 45,936 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in Hershey by 10.0% during the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 320,680 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,951,000 after acquiring an additional 29,246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 55.6% in the 4th quarter. Pensionfund Sabic now owns 8,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,423,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock traded down $0.34 on Monday, reaching $157.86. 1,719,469 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,715,065. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $174.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $185.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.19, a PEG ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $156.10 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.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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 $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on HSY. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $183.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $172.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $182.21.

About Hershey

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.