Johnson Financial Group Inc. Sells 401 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Johnson Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 9.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,069 shares of the company’s stock after selling 401 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $675,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Hershey by 46.3% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, insider Stacy Taffet purchased 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s 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 directly owned 55,319 shares in the company, valued at $9,933,079.64. This trade represents a 2.64% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,103,640. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $188.39 on Friday. Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03. The business has a fifty day moving average of $183.39 and a 200 day moving average of $177.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.02, a PEG ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.24.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.34 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 81.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays set a $188.00 price target on Hershey in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Bank of America raised their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $179.74.

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.