Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC Has $232,000 Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC cut its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 33.3% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,400 shares of the company’s stock after selling 700 shares during the period. Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Whittier Trust Co. bought a new position in Hershey during the first quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the first quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Evercore ISI reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Piper Sandler raised shares of Hershey from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $167.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, DA Davidson increased their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $179.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 56,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,654,698.88. The trade was a 2.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $170.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.66, a PEG ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.24. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $184.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $175.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.91%.

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.