Czech National Bank Has $6 Million Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• The Czech National Bank increased its stake in Hershey Company by 6.6%, now holding a total of 36,174 shares worth approximately $6 million.
• Insider trading revealed that CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares, reducing her position by 9.06%, while insiders have collectively sold 86,127 shares in the last quarter.
• Hershey reported strong quarterly earnings, with $1.21 EPS that surpassed analysts' estimates and a revenue increase of 26.0% year-over-year, totaling $2.61 billion.

Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,174 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,241 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in Hershey were worth $6,003,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 129.5% in the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Up 1.5%

Hershey stock traded up $2.91 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $193.09. 155,125 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,778,070. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $182.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $172.16. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.14 billion, a PE ratio of 25.58, a P/E/G ratio of 4.59 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. Hershey'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 research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $173.89.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total transaction of $3,742,260.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $37,563,056. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 87,627 shares of company stock valued at $16,043,435. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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.