Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC Sells 68 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC decreased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 872 shares of the company’s stock after selling 68 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $148,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HSY. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 30,461.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,100,130,000 after acquiring an additional 571,766 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $82,123,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,571,000 after buying an additional 389,404 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Hershey by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,029,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,348,127,000 after acquiring an additional 386,670 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 1,194.0% during the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 249,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,837,000 after acquiring an additional 230,077 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY traded down $4.70 on Friday, hitting $157.52. 2,358,437 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,541,569. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $174.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $185.61. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $156.10 and a 52-week high of $211.92. 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 company has a market capitalization of $31.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.15, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.38.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $182.21.

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.