<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its holdings in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 33.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,471 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,338 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,419,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.</p><ul><li>3 Stocks Raising Dividends 4X Higher Than Inflation</li></ul><p>Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 14.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,341,721 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,372,965,000 after buying an additional 2,158,912 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,487,565 shares of the company's stock worth $289,327,000 after purchasing an additional 90,329 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Hershey by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 787,377 shares of the company's stock worth $144,743,000 after purchasing an additional 25,780 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 23.2% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 783,128 shares of the company's stock valued at $143,962,000 after purchasing an additional 147,215 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 297.9% during the 2nd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company's stock valued at $131,959,000 after purchasing an additional 537,419 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. </p><h2>Hershey Stock Up 1.0 %</h2><p>HSY stock opened at $185.68 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $194.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $193.12. The stock has a market cap of $37.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.40, a PEG ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $178.82 and a twelve month high of $211.92. </p><ul><li>3 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy as Interest Rates Fall</li></ul><p>Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.44 by ($0.17). Hershey had a net margin of 16.76% and a return on equity of 45.36%. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.30 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.01 EPS. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Hershey Company will post 9.47 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Hershey Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 54.31%. </p><h2>Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth</h2><ul><li>3 Stocks to Secure Your Portfolio in a High VIX Market</li></ul><p>Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. Argus downgraded shares of Hershey from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 14th. Citigroup downgraded Hershey from a &#34;neutral&#34; rating to a &#34;sell&#34; rating and cut their target price for the company from $195.00 to $182.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Bank of America reduced their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a &#34;neutral&#34; rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. UBS Group downgraded Hershey from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;neutral&#34; rating and lowered their price target for the company from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Hershey from $209.00 to $205.00 and set a &#34;sector perform&#34; rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average target price of $195.00.</p><p><b>Get Our Latest Stock Report on HSY</b></p><h2>Insiders Place Their Bets</h2><p>In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total value of $286,245.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 34,228 shares in the company, valued at $6,531,729.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.83, for a total transaction of $286,245.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 34,228 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,531,729.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 538 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.17, for a total transaction of $107,153.46. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,238 shares of the company's stock, valued at $644,912.46. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock. </p><h2>About Hershey</h2> (Free Report)<p>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.</p><h2>Read More</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Hershey</li><li>3 Healthcare Dividend Stocks to Buy</li><li>Misses and Beats: 3 Stocks That Are Moving Markets Right Now</li><li>How to Invest in the FAANG Stocks</li><li>Cisco on the Rise: AI Potential and Analyst Upgrades Drive Gains</li><li>Earnings Per Share Calculator: How to Calculate EPS</li><li>MarketBeat Week in Review – 10/14 - 10/18</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUhTWQ?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPUhTWQ"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. 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<p>Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. increased its stake in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 33.2% in Q3, acquiring an additional 8,338 shares, bringing its total to 33,471 shares valued at $4,419,000. Other investors, including Vanguard and Janus Henderson, also raised their positions in Hershey. The stock opened at $82.68, with a market cap of $45.55 billion. Hershey recently reported earnings of $0.27 per share, missing estimates, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, yielding 2.95%.</p>

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Acquires 8,338 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)