Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Purchases 4,525 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. boosted its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 116.1% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,424 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,525 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,438,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kennon Green & Company LLC increased its position in Hershey by 33.3% in the 1st quarter. Kennon Green & Company LLC now owns 43,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,379,000 after buying an additional 10,784 shares in the last quarter. William Allan Corp increased its holdings in Hershey by 173.1% during 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 increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 2,757 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $55,269,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Michele Buck sold 31,210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $160.80, for a total value of $5,018,568.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,134,739.20. This represents a 13.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,431,175. The trade was a 4.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 118,311 shares of company stock valued at $20,931,348 in the last quarter. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $181.4760 on Friday. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $176.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.34. The company has a market capitalization of $36.79 billion, a PE ratio of 24.10, a PEG ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 0.27. 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 (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Hershey from $135.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $170.83.

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.