5,630 Shares in Hershey Company (The) $HSY Acquired by Dynasty Wealth Management LLC

Dynasty Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,053,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 1.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,840,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,126,594,000 after purchasing an additional 210,131 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,116,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $849,123,000 after buying an additional 125,100 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 2.8% in 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,276,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $543,712,000 after acquiring an additional 144,640 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Hershey by 2.1% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,420,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $235,731,000 after acquiring an additional 29,462 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Hershey from $204.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $182.00 price objective on Hershey and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $181.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays set a $210.00 price target on Hershey in a research note on Friday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $189.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CEO Kirk Tanner acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at $8,876,115.60. This represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.51, for a total value of $282,765.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $821,445. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hershey Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $198.67 on Wednesday. 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 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $201.86. The stock has a market cap of $40.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.70 and a beta of 0.18. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $185.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $183.25.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.34 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 81.91%.

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.