IFP Advisors Inc Sells 1,606 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

IFP Advisors Inc decreased its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 18.7% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 6,988 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,606 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,274,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of HSY. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 129.5% during the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson upped 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. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note 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 research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Hershey from $192.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $175.89.

Hershey Stock Down 0.2%

HSY stock opened at $192.19 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $186.17 and a 200 day moving average of $174.16. 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 Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03. The firm has a market cap 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.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The business had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $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, research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $240,120.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,852,240. This trade represents a 3.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total value of $3,742,260.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,563,056. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 65,704 shares of company stock worth $12,206,910. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

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.