Westfield Capital Management Co. LP Boosts Stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 41,366 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 709 shares during the quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP’s holdings in Hershey were worth $7,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 218.2% during the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings 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 bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC grew its holdings 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 last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 0.1 %

Hershey stock opened at $174.81 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market cap of $35.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.14, a PEG ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $184.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $190.90. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $168.16 and a 1 year high of $211.92.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, Citigroup cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $189.33.

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.