Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Sells 2,903 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. cut its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 86,409 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,903 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $14,340,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 129.5% during the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $10,654,698.88. This represents a 2.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total transaction of $3,742,260.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,563,056. The trade was a 9.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 22,290 shares of company stock worth $4,307,220. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $192.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $177.67.

Hershey Stock Down 1.1%

Hershey stock opened at $179.52 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $36.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.84, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $186.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $175.65.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The business’s revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.78%.

Hershey Company 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.