Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Sold by Voya Investment Management LLC

Voya Investment Management LLC lessened its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 0.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,434 shares of the company’s stock after selling 168 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $8,455,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rafferty Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 12,825 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,172,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in Hershey by 96.3% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 420 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in Hershey by 55.0% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 12,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,195,000 after buying an additional 4,599 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $393,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $238,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of HSY opened at $190.92 on Thursday. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The stock has a market cap of $38.70 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.27. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $181.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $172.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.27 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 72.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $240,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $900,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 61,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,037,420. The trade was a 7.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 86,127 shares of company stock valued at $15,759,755 over the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $187.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Bank of America upped their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $173.89.

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.