CORDA Investment Management LLC. boosted its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 10.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 95,392 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,723 shares during the period. CORDA Investment Management LLC.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $16,315,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $18,273,000. Sowell Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,758,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 56,346 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,542,000 after buying an additional 5,079 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 19,349 shares of the company's stock worth $3,277,000 after purchasing an additional 1,222 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $931,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $162.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fifteen have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $158.84.
View Our Latest Research Report on Hershey
Hershey Stock Down 4.5%
HSY traded down $7.59 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $162.34. The company had a trading volume of 3,520,605 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,805,189. The company has a market capitalization of $32.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.02, a PEG ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 0.30. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $165.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $164.85. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.81 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 38.70%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.07 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Hershey Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Hershey's payout ratio is 67.57%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey
In other Hershey news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $227,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,431,175. This represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $3,375,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,884,200. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 54,107 shares of company stock worth $9,008,118 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.
Hershey Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
Before you consider Hershey, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Hershey wasn't on the list.
While Hershey currently has a Reduce rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Enter your email address and we'll send you MarketBeat's list of ten stocks that are set to soar in Summer 2025, despite the threat of tariffs and other economic uncertainty. These ten stocks are incredibly resilient and are likely to thrive in any economic environment.
Get This Free Report
