Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Sells 29,883 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC significantly reduced its stake in Hershey Company by 91.9%, selling 29,883 shares during the first quarter, leaving it with 2,646 shares valued at $453,000.
• Multiple institutional investors increased their positions in Hershey, with Kennon Green & Company LLC raising theirs by 33.3% and William Allan Corp by 173.1% in the same timeframe.
• Hershey recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 3.0%.

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC reduced its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 91.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,646 shares of the company's stock after selling 29,883 shares during the quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $453,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 129.5% during the first quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen raised Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Hershey from $135.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $170.83.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total transaction of $240,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 38,068 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,852,240. The trade was a 3.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $227,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 117,337 shares of company stock worth $20,778,323 in the last ninety days. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY traded down $1.70 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $181.70. 882,381 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,824,813. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $208.03. The stock has a market cap of $36.84 billion, a PE ratio of 24.13, a PEG ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company has a fifty day moving average of $176.75 and a 200 day moving average of $169.89.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.27 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend 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.