Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Sold by Fruth Investment Management

Fruth Investment Management decreased its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 0.2% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 31,924 shares of the company’s stock after selling 68 shares during the period. Hershey comprises about 1.5% of Fruth Investment Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in Hershey were worth $5,459,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kennon Green & Company LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 33.3% in the 1st quarter. Kennon Green & Company LLC now owns 43,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,379,000 after purchasing an additional 10,784 shares in the last quarter. William Allan Corp boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 173.1% in the 1st quarter. William Allan Corp now owns 18,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,180,000 after purchasing an additional 11,785 shares in the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its position in Hershey by 9.5% during the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 31,925 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,460,000 after acquiring an additional 2,757 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 18,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,186,000 after acquiring an additional 1,390 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $55,269,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on HSY shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $187.00 price target for the company. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $171.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $227,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,431,175. This represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $3,472,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,852,320. The trade was a 9.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 86,127 shares of company stock worth $15,759,755. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $185.64 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $37.63 billion, a PE ratio of 24.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 0.27. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $180.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $171.66. 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 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.78%.

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.