Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Decreases Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp cut its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 23.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 238,420 shares of the company’s stock after selling 72,823 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned 0.12% of Hershey worth $39,566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Hershey by 59.4% during the second quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,388 shares of the company’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its position in shares of Hershey by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 231,729 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,455,000 after buying an additional 1,660 shares in the last quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC now owns 21,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,611,000 after acquiring an additional 722 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co grew its position in Hershey by 0.6% in the second quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 12,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,118,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 49 Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Hershey by 27.3% during the second quarter. 49 Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE HSY opened at $178.47 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $184.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $176.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $36.19 billion, a PE ratio of 23.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.24.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.24. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.34 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.52, for a total transaction of $281,280.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on HSY. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $204.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $179.05.

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.