Lifeworks Advisors LLC Sells 474 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Lifeworks Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 23.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,590 shares of the company’s stock after selling 474 shares during the period. Lifeworks Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $305,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 55.0% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY lifted 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 valued at $1,411,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 1.5% during the second 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 last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of HSY opened at $178.77 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $188.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $192.05. The company has a market capitalization of $36.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.60, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $171.67 and a 1-year high of $211.92.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 3.07%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on HSY shares. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They set a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Argus downgraded shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Five equities 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 stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $189.33.

Hershey Company 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.