Vident Advisory LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Hershey Company by an astonishing 897.4% during the first quarter, owning 23,150 shares worth approximately $3.96 million.
• Insider transactions revealed that two executives sold a combined 2,634 shares of Hershey's stock, resulting in a notable decrease in their ownership positions.
• Hershey's quarterly earnings surpassed expectations, reporting $1.21 EPS against a consensus estimate of $0.98, with revenues increasing by 26.0% year-over-year.

Vident Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 897.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,150 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,829 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $3,959,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Clough Capital Partners L P acquired a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at $4,584,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at $47,000. Orion Investment Co raised its position in Hershey by 12.8% in the first quarter. Orion Investment Co now owns 38,377 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,564,000 after purchasing an additional 4,360 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Hershey by 10.8% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 307,361 shares of the company's stock worth $52,568,000 after buying an additional 29,943 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $198,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of HSY stock traded up $0.55 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $185.24. 355,006 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,801,731. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $178.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $170.86. The firm has a market cap of $37.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.53. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. Hershey's revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate 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 paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is 72.78%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $240,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,852,240. This trade represents a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $227,500.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 have sold a total of 86,127 shares of company stock worth $15,759,755 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Mizuho upped their price target on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $170.83.

Hershey Company 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.