Rafferty Asset Management LLC Has $1.74 Million Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Rafferty Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in Hershey Company by 20.6%, selling 2,639 shares and owning 10,186 shares worth $1,742,000 as of its latest SEC filing.
• Hershey Company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.37, representing an annualized dividend of $5.48 and a dividend yield of 3.0%, with a payout ratio of 72.78%.
• Several analysts have raised their price targets for Hershey stock, with Bank of America setting a new target at $208.00 and a consensus average price target of $170.83.

Rafferty Asset Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 20.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,186 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,639 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,742,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company's stock worth $460,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Ignite Planners LLC raised its position in Hershey by 5.2% during the first quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 0.9% during the first quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 7,248 shares of the company's stock worth $1,229,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Hershey by 0.9% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,189 shares of the company's stock worth $1,179,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $473,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 61,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,037,420. This trade represents a 7.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the company's 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,563,056. The trade was a 9.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 86,127 shares of company stock valued at $15,759,755. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE HSY traded up $0.13 on Thursday, reaching $184.82. The company had a trading volume of 296,923 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,801,371. The firm has a market cap of $37.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.54, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $208.03. The business has a 50 day moving average of $178.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.86.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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. Analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $170.83.

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.