Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. Sells 1,310 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. reduced its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 2.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 57,498 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,310 shares during the period. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $11,027,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 218.2% during the second 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. increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the first quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Barclays dropped 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 note on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup cut shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price target for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $189.33.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $170.92 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $34.58 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $187.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $191.78. The Hershey Company has a one year low of $170.58 and a one year high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.13%.

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.