Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Has $3.49 Million Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its holdings in Hershey Company by 29.3% during Q2, now owning a position valued at $3.49 million.
• Hershey reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.21 for the most recent quarter, exceeding consensus estimates and showing a 26% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.37, translating to an annual yield of 2.9%, with a payout ratio of 72.78%.

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 29.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,021 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 4,764 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $3,489,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Hershey stock opened at $189.64 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $38.44 billion, a PE ratio of 25.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 0.26. Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $174.40.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $240,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,068 shares in the company, 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 this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The shares were 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 owned 61,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,037,420. The trade was a 7.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 65,704 shares of company stock worth $12,206,910. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HSY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Hershey in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $187.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price objective on Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Hershey from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised Hershey from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $175.89.

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.

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