Sachetta LLC Lowers Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Sachetta LLC reduced its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 32.9% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 703 shares of the company’s stock after selling 344 shares during the period. Sachetta LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $117,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 129.5% in the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $3,472,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,852,320. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $900,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 61,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,037,420. The trade was a 7.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 65,704 shares of company stock worth $12,206,910. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on HSY. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $187.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $174.05.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $195.27 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.53. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.93, a P/E/G ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.26. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $185.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.44.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.78%.

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.