JLB & Associates Inc. Has $9.09 Million Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• JLB & Associates reduced its stake in The Hershey Company by 10.5% in the fourth quarter to 49,922 shares, a holding valued at approximately $9.09 million.
• Hershey beat expectations for the quarter with EPS of $2.35 (vs. $2.04) and revenue of $3.10 billion (up 10.7% year‑over‑year), yet analysts still show a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $218.33.
• Corporate insiders sold a total of 10,000 shares (about $2.19 million) over the last quarter, including CFO Steven Voskuil’s sale of 1,500 shares executed under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan.

JLB & Associates Inc. lessened its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,922 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,826 shares during the period. JLB & Associates Inc.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $9,085,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Close Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in Hershey by 339.3% in the 3rd quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd now owns 246 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,198,599.50. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at $7,814,787.76. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,189,090 over the last quarter. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on HSY. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Hershey from $211.00 to $204.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Hershey in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $218.33.

Hershey Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE HSY opened at $187.15 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $150.04 and a 1-year high of $239.48. The company has a 50 day moving average of $207.82 and a 200-day moving average of $196.73. The company has a market cap of $37.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.85, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.07.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.09 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.19%.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company NYSE: HSY is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey's business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey's product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.

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