American Trust Decreases Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

American Trust decreased its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 18.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,855 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,144 shares during the period. American Trust’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,616,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 218.2% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 55.0% during the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 71.9% during the second quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 251 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $175.00 to $160.00 in a report on Thursday. Citigroup lowered Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Hershey from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $185.17.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $183.95 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $180.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $188.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.19, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $168.16 and a 52 week high of $211.92.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 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.