AlphaQuest LLC Makes New Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC has acquired a new position in Hershey Company, purchasing 2,158 shares valued at approximately $369,000 during the first quarter of the year.
• Hershey's recent earnings report revealed an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.21, surpassing expectations and showing a 26.0% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.37, with an annualized dividend yield of 3.0%, set to be paid on September 15th.

AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,158 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $369,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 129.5% in the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the first quarter worth $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY traded up $3.93 on Friday, hitting $183.92. The company had a trading volume of 1,108,713 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,422,811. The company's fifty day moving average price is $177.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $170.41. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. 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 stock has a market cap of $37.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.27.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Hershey's payout ratio is 72.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on HSY. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. UBS Group cut their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Hershey from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $170.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total value of $3,742,260.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,563,056. The trade was a 9.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $240,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 86,127 shares of company stock valued at $15,759,755 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

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.