NORTHSTAR ASSET MANAGEMENT Co Decreases Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

NORTHSTAR ASSET MANAGEMENT Co cut its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,600 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. NORTHSTAR ASSET MANAGEMENT Co’s holdings in Hershey were worth $597,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 129.5% in the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.52, for a total transaction of $281,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 56,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,654,698.88. This trade represents a 2.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,563,056. The trade was a 9.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 22,290 shares of company stock valued at $4,307,220 in the last ninety days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on HSY. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $222.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $193.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $177.67.

Hershey Stock Down 1.1%

HSY opened at $179.52 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $186.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $175.46. The company has a market cap of $36.39 billion, a PE ratio of 23.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.26. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $208.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.53.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results 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. The firm 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.