Uncommon Cents Investing LLC Invests $505,000 in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Uncommon Cents Investing LLC has made a significant investment of $505,000 in Hershey Company, acquiring 3,045 shares during the 2nd quarter.
• Hershey's stock has an average rating of "Reduce" with a consensus target price of $174.05, while JPMorgan Chase & Co. assigned a "neutral" rating and Goldman Sachs upgraded it from "sell" to "buy."
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 2.9% and a payout ratio of 72.78%.

Uncommon Cents Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 3,045 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $505,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HSY. Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 1,312 shares of the company's stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in Hershey by 2.4% in the first quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 2,691 shares of the company's stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC grew its position in Hershey by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,278 shares of the company's stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 7,248 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,229,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,179,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Hershey in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $187.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $174.05.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.12, for a total transaction of $283,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 58,319 shares in the company, valued at $11,029,289.28. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 87,627 shares of company stock worth $16,043,435. Insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE HSY opened at $188.26 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $184.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $172.54. Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03. 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 has a market capitalization of $38.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.00, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.27.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Hershey's payout ratio is 72.78%.

Hershey Company 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.

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