Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Bought by TrueMark Investments LLC

Key Points

• TrueMark Investments LLC increased its stake in Hershey Company by 8.8% during Q2, owning 26,303 shares valued at approximately $4.36 million.
• Hershey's quarterly earnings exceeded expectations, reporting $1.21 earnings per share against a consensus estimate of $0.98, with a 26% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.37, reflecting an annual yield of 2.9% and a payout ratio of 72.78%.

TrueMark Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 8.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,303 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,132 shares during the period. TrueMark Investments LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $4,365,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of HSY. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 129.5% during the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Morgan Stanley set a $193.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. DA Davidson raised 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. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $176.11.

Hershey Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $187.88 on Friday. 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 Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The company has a 50 day moving average of $186.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $174.82. The company has a market capitalization of $38.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.26.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 58,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,029,289.28. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total transaction of $3,742,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, 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 sold 65,704 shares of company stock valued at $12,206,910 over the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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