Intech Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 88.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,218 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,428 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,508,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 15.2% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 8,128 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,390,000 after acquiring an additional 1,075 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 200.7% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 427 shares of the company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 20.1% during the 1st quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 11,576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,980,000 after buying an additional 1,940 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 409.9% during the first quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 12,697 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,172,000 after buying an additional 10,207 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.8% in the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 11,321 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,936,000 after buying an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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 stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.52, for a total value of $281,280.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 56,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,654,698.88. This trade represents a 2.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Up 0.7%

NYSE:HSY opened at $179.36 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.37 billion, a PE ratio of 23.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.24. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $183.94 and a 200-day moving average of $176.46.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.34 EPS. The business’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. Analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 81.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded Hershey from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $167.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $179.05.

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.