Empowered Funds LLC Has $12.36 Million Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC has increased its stock position in Hershey Company by 95.4% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 35,274 shares for a total value of approximately $12.36 million.
• Hedge funds now own 57.96% of Hershey's stock, with notable increases in holdings by Charles Schwab Investment Management and Royal Bank of Canada during the same period.
• Hershey announced a quarterly dividend of $1.37, reflecting an annualized yield of 2.9%, payable on September 15th to stockholders of record on August 15th.

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 95.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 72,246 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 35,274 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $12,356,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its position in Hershey by 2.4% during the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company's stock valued at $460,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.2% in the first quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the company's stock worth $214,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.9% in the first quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 7,248 shares of the company's stock worth $1,229,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.9% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,189 shares of the company's stock worth $1,179,000 after buying 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 buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY traded down $0.60 on Friday, reaching $184.95. The stock had a trading volume of 871,541 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,781,221. The company has a market capitalization of $37.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 0.27. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $180.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $171.66.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.27 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.78%.

Insider Activity

In other 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $240,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 38,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,852,240. The trade was a 3.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 86,127 shares of company stock worth $15,759,755 over the last quarter. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America lifted their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Mizuho upped their target price on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $171.22.

Hershey 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.