Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Trims Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 97.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,535 shares of the company’s stock after selling 521,953 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Hershey were worth $2,246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 46.3% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter valued at $39,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $182.36 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $36.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.26 and a beta of 0.19. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $181.11 and its 200 day moving average is $180.77. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $199.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.36.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HSY. UBS Group decreased their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Barclays set a $188.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Evercore ISI reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $195.00 to $211.00 in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $184.95.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Stacy Taffet purchased 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost 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. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.51, for a total transaction of $282,765.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,145,419.69. This trade represents a 2.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,102,725 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.