Hamel Associates Inc. reduced its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY – Get Rating) by 19.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,410 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,565 shares during the period. Hamel Associates Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,413,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in shares of Hershey by 3.1% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 30,767 shares of the company's stock worth $6,665,000 after acquiring an additional 916 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $238,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 28.8% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,566 shares of the company's stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,057,990 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,045,383,000 after buying an additional 216,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. increased its holdings in Hershey by 10.8% in the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 32,183 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,972,000 after purchasing an additional 3,129 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.17% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock traded up $2.06 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $238.34. 483,043 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,086,568. The company has a market capitalization of $48.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $229.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $227.50. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $193.09 and a 52-week high of $242.63.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.036 per share. This represents a $4.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, major shareholder Hershey Trust Co sold 8,600 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.83, for a total transaction of $1,985,138.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 39,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,147,792.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Hershey Trust Co sold 8,600 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.83, for a total value of $1,985,138.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 39,630 shares in the company, valued at $9,147,792.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Charles R. Raup sold 1,512 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.38, for a total value of $357,406.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,713 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,241,478.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 41,023 shares of company stock valued at $9,293,587 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Hershey from $231.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, November 7th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $244.00 to $269.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of Hershey from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. Finally, Credit Suisse Group lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $250.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $243.71.

Hershey Profile

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The Hershey Co engages in the manufacture and marketing of chocolate, sweets, mints and confectionery products. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: North America and International and Other. The North America is responsible for the traditional chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery market position of the company, as well as its grocery and snacks market positions, in the United States and Canada.

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