UMB Bank n.a. Buys 5,467 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Hershey Company by 11.7% during the second quarter, owning 52,244 shares valued at approximately $8.67 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Royal Bank of Canada and Charles Schwab Investment Management, also increased their stakes in Hershey, reflecting overall institutional ownership of 57.96% in the company.
• Hershey reported a 26% increase in revenue year-over-year for the recent quarter, achieving $2.61 billion, and exceeding analyst expectations for earnings per share.

UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 11.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 52,244 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,467 shares during the quarter. UMB Bank n.a.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $8,670,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 129.5% in the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE HSY traded down $2.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $190.30. 591,104 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,780,146. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $183.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $172.21. The company has a market capitalization of $38.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.59 and a beta of 0.27. Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 72.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. DA Davidson increased their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $173.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value 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. The trade was a 4.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total transaction of $3,742,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,563,056. The trade was a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 87,627 shares of company stock worth $16,043,435. 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.