Ground Swell Capital LLC Makes New Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired 1,854 shares of Hershey Company, worth approximately $308,000, making it the firm's 26th largest position, comprising about 0.5% of its holdings.
• Hershey reported $1.21 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations and resulting in a revenue of $2.61 billion, a year-over-year increase of 26%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.37, representing an annualized yield of 3.0%, with a payout ratio of 72.78%.

Ground Swell Capital LLC bought a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,854 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $308,000. Hershey accounts for approximately 0.5% of Ground Swell Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,909 shares of the company's stock worth $1,011,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1,640.3% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 24,260 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,149,000 after purchasing an additional 22,866 shares in the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 3.1% in the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 89,312 shares of the company's stock worth $15,275,000 after buying an additional 2,687 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 22.1% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 3,469 shares of the company's stock valued at $593,000 after buying an additional 627 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.4% during the first quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $494,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Down 1.4%

HSY stock opened at $181.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $36.83 billion, a PE ratio of 24.12, a PEG ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.26. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $208.03. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $186.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $175.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. The business's 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Hershey's payout ratio is 72.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho raised their price objective on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective 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 target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $176.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.52, for a total transaction of $281,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 56,819 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,654,698.88. This represents a 2.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 22,290 shares of company stock valued at $4,307,220 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

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.

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