The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares Sold by Valley Brook Capital Group Inc.

Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,857 shares of the company’s stock after selling 210 shares during the quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $740,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 218.2% in 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 position in Hershey by 55.0% in 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 during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total value of $107,153.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares in the company, valued at $644,912.46. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America cut their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, August 12th. They issued a “sell” rating and a $185.00 target price for the company. UBS Group lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.61.

Hershey Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE HSY traded up $0.85 on Thursday, reaching $177.67. The stock had a trading volume of 527,435 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,667,274. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $173.10 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $189.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $192.34. The company has a market capitalization of $35.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.65, a P/E/G ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.08%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 60.89%.

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.