CapWealth Advisors LLC Has $11.25 Million Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

CapWealth Advisors LLC reduced its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 60,122 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,867 shares during the period. CapWealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $11,246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 43,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,374,000 after buying an additional 2,025 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Hershey by 16.5% during the first quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $559,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Hershey by 40.4% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,237,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,227,000 after acquiring an additional 356,105 shares during the last quarter. AlTi Global Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter worth approximately $2,608,000. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 33,344 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,703,000 after purchasing an additional 2,322 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $182.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $180.65 and its 200-day moving average is $181.29. The company has a market cap of $36.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.22 and a beta of 0.19. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $199.00.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on HSY. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $180.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Argus upgraded Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $184.95.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Stacy Taffet purchased 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,876,115.60. The trade was a 4.36% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,102,725. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.