CW Advisors LLC Acquires 2,853 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

CW Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 53.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,163 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,853 shares during the period. CW Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,840,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,126,594,000 after purchasing an additional 210,131 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.5% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,116,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $849,123,000 after buying an additional 125,100 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,567,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $755,305,000 after buying an additional 126,519 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Hershey by 4.6% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,276,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $543,712,000 after buying an additional 144,640 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Hershey by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,753,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,858,000 after buying an additional 557,056 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $182.39 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $36.99 billion, a PE ratio of 27.26 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.36. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $182.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $178.64.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.24. Hershey had a net margin of 11.84% and a return on equity of 32.08%. The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.34 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 81.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Argus raised shares of Hershey to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating and a $181.00 price target on the stock. Barclays set a $188.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $182.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was 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 approximately $9,933,079.64. This represents a 2.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,786.49. The trade was a 2.18% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,103,640 over the last ninety days. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by 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.