Kestra Investment Management LLC Has $877,000 Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Kestra Investment Management LLC significantly increased its stake in Hershey Company by 3,668.4% during Q1, acquiring nearly 5,000 additional shares, bringing its total holdings to 5,125 shares worth approximately $877,000.
• Hershey's recent earnings report indicated a notable performance, with revenue of $2.61 billion, exceeding estimates and showing a 26.0% year-over-year increase in revenue.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.37, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 3.0%, with the payout ratio set at 72.78%.

Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 3,668.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,125 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,989 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $877,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 18,311.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,010,616 shares of the company's stock worth $1,728,460,000 after buying an additional 1,005,127 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 6,721.3% during the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 819,446 shares of the company's stock valued at $140,150,000 after purchasing an additional 807,433 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Hershey by 25.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,753,077 shares of the company's stock valued at $470,858,000 after purchasing an additional 557,056 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 38.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,710,000 after purchasing an additional 453,428 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,991,639 shares of the company's stock valued at $853,720,000 after purchasing an additional 356,249 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE HSY traded down $0.60 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $184.95. 871,541 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,110,049. The company's 50-day moving average is $180.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.71. Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03. 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 capitalization of $37.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 0.27.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 presently 72.78%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $240,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 38,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total value of $3,742,260.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,563,056. The trade was a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 86,127 shares of company stock valued at $15,759,755 in the last quarter. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on HSY. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Bank of America upped their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $171.22.

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.