Amundi Has $208.23 Million Stake in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Amundi increased its stake in Hershey Company by 40.4% in Q1, acquiring an additional 356,105 shares, bringing its total ownership to about 1.24 million shares valued at approximately $208 million.
• Hershey reported earnings of $1.21 EPS, exceeding estimates, with quarterly revenue reaching $2.61 billion, a 26% year-over-year increase.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, which translates to an annual yield of 3.0% and a payout ratio of 72.78%.

Amundi grew its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 40.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,237,107 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 356,105 shares during the period. Amundi owned approximately 0.61% of Hershey worth $208,227,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Hershey from $135.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $171.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $240,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,852,240. The trade was a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $900,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 61,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 ninety days, insiders sold 86,127 shares of company stock valued at $15,759,755. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY traded down $4.26 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $183.43. 256,566 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,784,714. The business has a 50 day moving average of $179.69 and a 200 day moving average of $171.51. 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 company has a market capitalization of $37.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.36, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.27.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The company had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. Hershey's quarterly revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.78%.

About Hershey

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.