St. James Investment Company LLC Boosts Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

St. James Investment Company LLC grew its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 116,191 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 953 shares during the quarter. Hershey accounts for about 3.1% of St. James Investment Company LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. St. James Investment Company LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $19,282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kennon Green & Company LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 33.3% in the first quarter. Kennon Green & Company LLC now owns 43,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,379,000 after purchasing an additional 10,784 shares during the period. William Allan Corp boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 173.1% in the first quarter. William Allan Corp now owns 18,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,180,000 after purchasing an additional 11,785 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 9.5% in the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 31,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,460,000 after purchasing an additional 2,757 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $55,269,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 8.1% in the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 21,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,617,000 after purchasing an additional 1,582 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 56,819 shares in the company, valued at $10,654,698.88. This represents a 2.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were 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 owned 193,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,563,056. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 22,290 shares of company stock valued at $4,307,220. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of several recent research reports. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $192.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley set a $193.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $176.83.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $186.38 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $37.78 billion, a PE ratio of 24.75, a P/E/G ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 0.26. 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 twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $175.13.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The company’s revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 72.78%.

About Hershey

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.