Employees Provident Fund Board Takes $4.91 Million Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Employees Provident Fund Board acquired a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 27,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,913,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $9,633,000. Prudential PLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 237.3% in the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 7,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after acquiring an additional 5,620 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial lifted its stake in Hershey by 38,266.7% in the 4th quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 5,755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 5,740 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,744,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Hershey by 833.3% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 185,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,940,000 after purchasing an additional 165,458 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of HSY stock opened at $172.38 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.10, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $188.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $198.22. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $160.07 and a 52-week high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.09 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $211.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group decreased their target price on Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Evercore upgraded shares of Hershey from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $255.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 target price on Hershey in a report on Friday, May 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $218.06.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,198,599.50. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by 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.