Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Raises Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in Hershey Company by 116.1%, acquiring a total of 8,424 shares valued at approximately $1.44 million.
• Several hedge funds have significantly boosted their holdings in Hershey, with GAMMA Investing LLC raising its stake by an astounding 18,311.7% during the same quarter.
• Hershey announced a quarterly dividend of $1.37 to be paid on September 15th, representing an annualized yield of 3.0%, with a payout ratio of 72.78%.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 116.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,424 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,525 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,438,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 129.5% during the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $1.50 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $181.90. 508,279 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,823,613. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $176.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.89. 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 $36.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.27. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 4.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 117,337 shares of company stock valued at $20,778,323 in the last three months. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Piper Sandler boosted 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. DA Davidson increased their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $170.83.

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.