Hershey Company (The) $HSY Stock Position Reduced by Allianz SE

Allianz SE cut its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 11.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 55,741 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,872 shares during the quarter. Allianz SE’s holdings in Hershey were worth $9,250,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,991,639 shares of the company’s stock valued at $853,720,000 after buying an additional 356,249 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,567,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $755,305,000 after buying an additional 126,519 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in Hershey by 25.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,753,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,858,000 after buying an additional 557,056 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Hershey by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,590,903 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,092,000 after purchasing an additional 11,946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 40.4% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,237,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $208,227,000 after purchasing an additional 356,105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 3.3%

HSY opened at $178.39 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $36.17 billion, a PE ratio of 23.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $184.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $176.19. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.34 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Hershey from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $167.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $179.05.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.52, for a total transaction of $281,280.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 56,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,654,698.88. The trade was a 2.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.