Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. Buys New Shares in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. has acquired a new position in Hershey Company, purchasing 3,115 shares valued at approximately $517,000 during the 2nd quarter.
• Hershey recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, representing a 2.8% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 72.78%.
• Despite several upgrades in analyst ratings, the stock has an average rating of "Reduce" with a consensus price target of $174.05.

Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,115 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $517,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its position 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 last quarter. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the first quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HSY. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. DA Davidson boosted their target price on Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Two research 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.com, the stock has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $174.05.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $195.27 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a 50 day moving average of $185.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $173.44. 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 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.78%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.12, for a total value of $283,680.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 58,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,029,289.28. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total value of $3,742,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,563,056. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 65,704 shares of company stock valued at $12,206,910. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey 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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