Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Buys 5,642 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

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Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 16.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,780 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,642 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $6,804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the first quarter valued at $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its position 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 purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 974 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.11, for a total transaction of $153,025.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,994 shares in the company, valued at $470,387.34. The trade was a 24.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $227,500.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 118,311 shares of company stock valued at $20,931,348. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $2.1160 during trading on Friday, reaching $181.4760. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,110,298 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,839,830. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The business's 50-day moving average price is $176.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $169.34. The firm has a market cap of $36.79 billion, a PE ratio of 24.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. The company'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 analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. 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 presently 72.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on HSY. Mizuho lifted 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $135.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. DA Davidson boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Hershey in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $187.00 price target for the company. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $170.83.

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.