Clare Market Investments LLC Makes New Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Clare Market Investments LLC has acquired 3,855 shares of Hershey Company, valued at approximately $640,000, marking a new position in the confectionery firm.
• Hershey's quarterly earnings surpassed analyst expectations, reporting $1.21 EPS compared to a consensus estimate of $0.98, with year-over-year revenue increasing by 26%.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $5.48 and a yield of 2.9%.

Clare Market Investments LLC acquired a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,855 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $640,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,991,639 shares of the company's stock worth $853,720,000 after buying an additional 356,249 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,753,077 shares of the company's stock worth $470,858,000 after buying an additional 557,056 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 38.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company's stock worth $275,710,000 after buying an additional 453,428 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,590,903 shares of the company's stock worth $272,092,000 after buying an additional 11,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 40.4% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 1,237,107 shares of the company's stock worth $208,227,000 after acquiring an additional 356,105 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of HSY opened at $189.30 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $182.08 and a 200 day moving average of $172.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.14, a PEG ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.27 EPS. The firm'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. On average, research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $187.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $173.89.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $900,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 61,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,037,420. This trade represents a 7.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $227,500.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 86,127 shares of company stock worth $15,759,755. 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.

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