GAMMA Investing LLC Acquires 1,541 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Hershey Company by 26.1%, now owning 7,450 shares worth approximately $1.236 million after acquiring an additional 1,541 shares in the second quarter.
• Hershey reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.21 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue of $2.61 billion—an increase of 26.0% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend of $5.48 and a yield of 2.9%, with a payout ratio of 72.78%.

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 26.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,450 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,541 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,236,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 6,721.3% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 819,446 shares of the company's stock valued at $140,150,000 after buying an additional 807,433 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Hershey by 25.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,753,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $470,858,000 after acquiring an additional 557,056 shares in the last quarter. Scharf Investments LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $90,588,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,991,639 shares of the company's stock worth $853,720,000 after acquiring an additional 356,249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:HSY opened at $190.72 on Wednesday. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03. 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's 50 day moving average is $183.69 and its 200 day moving average is $172.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.66 billion, a PE ratio of 25.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.27.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.27 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current 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 $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 72.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.12, for a total value of $283,680.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 58,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,029,289.28. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the company'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 owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,175. The trade was a 4.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 87,627 shares of company stock valued at $16,043,435 in the last three months. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on HSY. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $170.00 to $222.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen raised Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $173.89.

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.

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