Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE Has $9.19 Million Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE raised its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 55,400 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Hershey makes up approximately 1.7% of Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE’s holdings in Hershey were worth $9,194,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its stake in Hershey by 4.9% in the second quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 1,312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.4% in the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company’s stock worth $460,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 7,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its position in Hershey by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,179,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total transaction of $3,742,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,563,056. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.12, for a total value of $283,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 58,319 shares in the company, valued at $11,029,289.28. This represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 65,704 shares of company stock worth $12,206,910 over the last three months. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE HSY opened at $192.19 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.96 billion, a PE ratio of 25.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 0.26. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $186.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $174.13. 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 Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month 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, 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 company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. The firm’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, analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HSY. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $175.89.

Hershey 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.