Apollon Wealth Management LLC Sells 530 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,177 shares of the company’s stock after selling 530 shares during the quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,760,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 55.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY grew its holdings in Hershey by 0.8% during the third quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 7,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,411,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. grew its stake in Hershey by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 4,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $199.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Hershey from $163.00 to $161.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Hershey from $205.00 to $183.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $189.33.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $184.45 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.25, a P/E/G ratio of 4.35 and a beta of 0.38. 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 stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $188.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.10. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $171.67 and a twelve month high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.97%. Hershey’s dividend 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.