Hershey Company (The) $HSY Stock Holdings Raised by MOKAN Wealth Management Inc.

Key Points

• MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Hershey Company by 20.1% in Q2, owning 12,735 shares valued at approximately $2.11 million.
• Hershey's stock has seen a recent downgrade in ratings, with 15 analysts assigning a Hold rating, 4 a Sell rating, and a target price averaging $175.89.
• Hershey recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, representing an annual yield of 2.9%, with a payout ratio of 72.78%.

MOKAN Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 20.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,735 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,127 shares during the period. Hershey accounts for approximately 1.2% of MOKAN Wealth Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. MOKAN Wealth Management Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,113,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 1,312 shares of the company's stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its position in shares of Hershey by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company's stock worth $460,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the company's stock worth $214,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 7,248 shares of the company's stock worth $1,229,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Hershey by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,189 shares of the company's stock worth $1,179,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of 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 four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $175.89.

Hershey Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $192.19 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.53. The company has a market cap of $38.96 billion, a PE ratio of 25.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 0.26. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $174.16.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $900,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 61,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,037,420. This represents a 7.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $240,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 65,704 shares of company stock worth $12,206,910. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company 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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