Boston Trust Walden Corp Sells 18,339 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Boston Trust Walden Corp trimmed its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 73,728 shares of the company’s stock after selling 18,339 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $13,791,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the second quarter valued at about $224,000. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $271,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of Hershey by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 58,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,695,000 after buying an additional 2,659 shares during the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 895.4% during the 2nd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 25,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,211,000 after acquiring an additional 22,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Uncommon Cents Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $505,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $180.89 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $36.68 billion, a PE ratio of 27.04 and a beta of 0.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $180.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $181.19. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $199.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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 currently 81.91%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,819 shares in the company, valued at $10,145,419.69. The trade was a 2.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,102,725. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Evercore ISI restated a “positive” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group decreased their price target on Hershey from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays set a $188.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, November 3rd. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $184.95.

Hershey Company Profile

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.