CreativeOne Wealth LLC Buys 3,293 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• CreativeOne Wealth LLC increased its stake in Hershey Company by 50.7% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 3,293 shares, bringing its total to 9,794 shares valued at approximately $1.675 million.
• Insider trading activity reveals that CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares at an average price of $194.00, a transaction worth over $3.74 million.
• A number of analysts have adjusted their price targets for Hershey's stock, with Bank of America setting a new target price of $208.00 and maintaining a "neutral" rating.

CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 50.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,794 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,293 shares during the quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its holdings in Hershey by 2.4% in the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company's stock valued at $460,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 5.2% in the first quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 0.9% in the first quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 7,248 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in Hershey by 0.9% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,179,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 2.6% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $473,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Barclays upped their price objective on Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Mizuho boosted their target price on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $170.83.

Hershey Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of HSY stock traded up $3.93 on Friday, hitting $183.92. 1,108,713 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,374,603. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.27. The business has a 50-day moving average of $177.44 and a 200 day moving average of $170.48. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 analysts' expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.27 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders 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 currently 72.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the company's 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 sale, the insider owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of the 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 $900,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 61,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,037,420. This trade represents a 7.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 86,127 shares of company stock worth $15,759,755 over the last ninety days. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.