New England Research & Management Inc. Takes Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• New England Research & Management Inc. acquired 2,250 shares of Hershey Company, valued at approximately $373,000, during the second quarter.
• Hershey's recent earnings report showed a 26.0% increase in revenue year-over-year, with earnings per share at $1.21, exceeding expectations.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed views on Hershey, with a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $171.22, while recent upgrades suggest potential for growth.

New England Research & Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $373,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 129.5% during the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho increased their target price on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $171.22.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $185.53 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $37.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.64, a PEG ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.27. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $180.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $171.79. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $208.03.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued 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 was Friday, August 15th. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 72.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $900,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 61,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,037,420. This represents a 7.54% 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 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

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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