Empowered Funds LLC Purchases 1,248 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,919 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,248 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,971,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY lifted its stake in Hershey by 0.8% in the third quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 7,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,411,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 3.7% during the second quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.3% during the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,631 shares of the company’s stock valued at $484,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the second quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 4,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $748,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. Citigroup cut Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $180.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $230.00 to $205.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Argus lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $189.33.

Hershey Trading Down 4.5 %

HSY opened at $170.92 on Monday. 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 $170.58 and a 52 week high of $211.92. The stock has a market cap of $34.58 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a PEG ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a 50 day moving average of $187.31 and a 200-day moving average of $191.78.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. 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.