Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lowered its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 371,384 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,365 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.18% of Hershey worth $61,631,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 46.3% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in Hershey during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Hershey from $188.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Hershey in a research note on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating and a $181.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $182.79.

Hershey Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $182.39 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03. The company has a market cap of $36.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.26 and a beta of 0.18. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $182.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $178.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.24. Hershey had a return on equity of 32.08% and a net margin of 11.84%.The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.34 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 81.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average price of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stacy Taffet purchased 200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,786.49. This represents a 2.18% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,103,640. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.