Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Purchased by GW Henssler & Associates Ltd.

Key Points

• GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. increased its holdings in Hershey Company by 61.2%, acquiring an additional 15,526 shares to total 40,915 shares, valued at approximately $6,998,000.
• Hershey reported a remarkable 26.0% increase in quarterly revenue year-over-year, totaling $2.61 billion, while exceeding analysts' earnings estimates with $1.21 EPS.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, resulting in an annual yield of 3.0%, with a payout ratio of 72.78%.

GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. grew its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 61.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 40,915 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 15,526 shares during the period. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 129.5% during the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Barclays upped their price objective on Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Hershey from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Hershey from $135.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $170.83.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY traded up $0.58 on Thursday, reaching $185.27. The stock had a trading volume of 733,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,804,089. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.56 billion, a PE ratio of 24.60, a PEG ratio of 4.45 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $178.64 and a 200 day moving average of $171.05. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The company's revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 72.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was 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 approximately $4,431,175. This represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,852,240. This trade represents a 3.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 86,127 shares of company stock worth $15,759,755 in the last 90 days. 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.