National Pension Service Has $38.46 Million Stake in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

National Pension Service lifted its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 0.7% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 231,729 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,660 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Hershey were worth $38,455,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 6,721.3% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 819,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,150,000 after purchasing an additional 807,433 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 25.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,753,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,858,000 after buying an additional 557,056 shares during the last quarter. Scharf Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $90,588,000. Equity Investment Corp acquired a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $73,706,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,991,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $853,720,000 after acquiring an additional 356,249 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of HSY opened at $179.36 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $183.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $176.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.82, a P/E/G 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.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced 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. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The company had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.34 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 81.91%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.52, for a total value of $281,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 56,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,654,698.88. This represents a 2.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on HSY. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley restated a “mixed” rating and set a $184.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded Hershey from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $167.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Three equities 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $179.05.

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.