Orion Investment Co Boosts Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Orion Investment Co has increased its stake in Hershey Company by 12.8%, acquiring a total of 38,377 shares valued at approximately $6.56 million.
• The Hershey Company reported a 26.0% revenue increase to $2.61 billion for the quarter, significantly outperforming analyst expectations.
• Hershey announced a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, which translates to a 3.0% dividend yield, with a payout ratio of 72.78%.

Orion Investment Co grew its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 12.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,377 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,360 shares during the quarter. Hershey comprises approximately 2.7% of Orion Investment Co's portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Orion Investment Co's holdings in Hershey were worth $6,564,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 7.7% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,991,639 shares of the company's stock valued at $853,720,000 after acquiring an additional 356,249 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 38.6% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company's stock worth $275,710,000 after purchasing an additional 453,428 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.8% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,590,903 shares of the company's stock worth $272,092,000 after purchasing an additional 11,946 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.7% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,020,569 shares of the company's stock worth $174,536,000 after purchasing an additional 17,311 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 18,311.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,010,616 shares of the company's stock worth $1,728,460,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005,127 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Mizuho upped their price target on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group reduced their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Hershey from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $170.83.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $227,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $900,000.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 86,127 shares of company stock worth $15,759,755. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $3.93 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $183.92. 1,108,713 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,422,811. The stock has a market cap of $37.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.42, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $177.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $170.41.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The business's revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.27 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Hershey's payout ratio is 72.78%.

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.