Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Purchased by Quadcap Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Quadcap Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Hershey Company by 67.9% in the first quarter, owning 4,835 shares worth approximately $827,000 as of its latest SEC filing.
• Several institutional investors also boosted their stakes in Hershey, with Gabelli Funds LLC increasing its ownership by 205.9%, now holding 13,000 shares valued at $2.2 million.
• Hershey reported better than expected quarterly earnings, with an EPS of $1.21 and revenue of $2.61 billion, overshadowing prior estimates and reflecting a 26% year-over-year increase.

Quadcap Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 67.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,835 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 1,956 shares during the quarter. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,005,127 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6,721.3% during the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 819,446 shares of the company's stock worth $140,150,000 after buying an additional 807,433 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 453,428 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 7.7% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,991,639 shares of the company's stock worth $853,720,000 after buying an additional 356,249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the first quarter worth about $55,269,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded up $3.93 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $183.92. 1,108,713 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,422,811. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $177.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $170.33. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $37.28 billion, a PE ratio of 24.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 0.27.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. The company'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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were 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 directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 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 transaction of $240,120.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 38,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,852,240. The trade was a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 86,127 shares of company stock valued at $15,759,755 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.34% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $170.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Hershey from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $170.83.

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.