Wealthspire Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Wealthspire Advisors LLC lowered its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 66.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,184 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,148 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $694,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Hershey during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth approximately $39,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 934.5% during the 2nd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $186.24 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $37.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $183.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $176.91. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.24. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The company had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.34 EPS. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 81.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. BNP Paribas Exane raised Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Hershey from $167.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated a “mixed” rating and set a $184.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $179.74.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.56, for a total transaction of $269,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 55,319 shares in the company, valued at $9,933,079.64. This trade represents a 2.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,103,640 over the last quarter. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.