Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys 4,214 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Hershey Company by 26.1%, owning 20,340 shares valued at approximately $3.48 million after purchasing 4,214 additional shares.
• Hershey reported $1.21 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding expectations by $0.23, and revenue of $2.61 billion, which was above analyst forecasts.
• The company is set to distribute a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, yielding 3.0%, with an ex-dividend date of August 15th.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 26.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,340 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,214 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kennon Green & Company LLC increased its position in Hershey by 33.3% during the 1st quarter. Kennon Green & Company LLC now owns 43,146 shares of the company's stock worth $7,379,000 after buying an additional 10,784 shares during the period. William Allan Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 173.1% during the 1st quarter. William Allan Corp now owns 18,593 shares of the company's stock worth $3,180,000 after purchasing an additional 11,785 shares in the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its stake in Hershey by 9.5% in the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 31,925 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,460,000 after buying an additional 2,757 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 8.1% in the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 18,625 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,186,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter valued at about $55,269,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $187.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Hershey from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Hershey from $135.00 to $154.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $170.83.

Hershey Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of HSY traded up $3.93 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $183.92. 1,108,713 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,374,603. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.28 billion, a PE ratio of 24.42, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.27. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $177.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $170.48. 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 Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.27 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. On average, analysts predict 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 will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 72.78%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,563,056. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $900,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 61,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,037,420. The trade was a 7.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 86,127 shares of company stock worth $15,759,755. 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.