Integrity Alliance LLC. Buys New Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Integrity Alliance LLC has acquired a new stake in Hershey Company, purchasing 1,523 shares valued at approximately $261,000 during the first quarter of the year.
• Insiders at Hershey Company, including CEO Michele Buck, have recently sold significant amounts of their stock, with Buck selling 19,290 shares worth $3,472,200.
• Hershey has announced a quarterly dividend of $1.37, representing a 3.0% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 72.78%.

Integrity Alliance LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its holdings in 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 during the period. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 7,248 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,179,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $473,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the insider owned 38,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 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 $3,472,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,852,320. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 86,127 shares of company stock worth $15,759,755. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $187.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays boosted 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. Wall Street Zen raised Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $171.22.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock opened at $184.95 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $37.49 billion, a PE ratio of 24.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.48 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $180.35 and a 200-day moving average of $171.71. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $140.13 and a 12-month high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The business had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business 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, sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

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.

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