Moran Wealth Management LLC Sells 1,382 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Moran Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in Hershey Company by 1.5%, after selling 1,382 shares, leaving them with 88,419 shares valued at approximately $14.67 million.
• Several analysts recently upgraded their price targets for Hershey, with Mizuho raising it from $155 to $165 and DA Davidson from $171 to $188, although the average rating remains "Reduce."
• The company reported quarterly earnings of $1.21 per share, significantly exceeding analyst estimates and showing a revenue increase of 26% year-over-year.

Moran Wealth Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 1.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 88,419 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,382 shares during the period. Moran Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $14,673,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 129.5% during the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.12, for a total value of $283,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 58,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,029,289.28. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of Hershey 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 in the company, valued at $6,852,240. This trade represents a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 65,704 shares of company stock valued at $12,206,910. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Mizuho boosted their target price on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their target price on Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Hershey from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $175.89.

Hershey Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $189.18 on Tuesday. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 0.26. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $186.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $174.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.53.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. The firm'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, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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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