Insider Buying: Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Insider Acquires 200 Shares of Stock

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Hershey Trading Up 0.5%

HSY traded up $0.85 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $186.65. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,338,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,774,310. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03. The stock has a market cap of $37.85 billion, a PE ratio of 24.79, a PEG ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $183.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.34 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 81.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a “mixed” rating and set a $184.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Hershey from $188.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $179.74.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 13.0% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 12,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,161,000 after acquiring an additional 1,455 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in Hershey by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 76,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,065,000 after purchasing an additional 5,041 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Hershey by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 13,738 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,350,000 after buying an additional 555 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 16.9% in the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $717,000 after buying an additional 606 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 5,231 shares of the company’s stock worth $895,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.