Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Decreases Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC reduced its stake in Hershey Company by 17.3%, selling 15,814 shares and now holds 75,656 shares valued at $13.35 million.
• Hershey's recent quarterly earnings exceeded expectations, reporting $1.21 EPS compared to the consensus estimate of $0.98, with a revenue of $2.61 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.37, reflecting an annualized yield of 2.9%, with a payout ratio of 72.78%.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC decreased its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 17.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,656 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,814 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $13,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Hershey by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,991,639 shares of the company's stock valued at $853,720,000 after purchasing an additional 356,249 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Hershey by 25.4% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,753,077 shares of the company's stock worth $470,858,000 after buying an additional 557,056 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Hershey by 0.8% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,590,903 shares of the company's stock valued at $272,092,000 after buying an additional 11,946 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in Hershey by 40.4% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,237,107 shares of the company's stock valued at $208,227,000 after buying an additional 356,105 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Hershey by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,020,569 shares of the company's stock worth $174,536,000 after acquiring an additional 17,311 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY traded up $2.30 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $192.48. The stock had a trading volume of 1,718,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,279,148. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $183.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $172.21. The firm has a market cap of $39.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.56, a PEG ratio of 4.59 and a beta of 0.27.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is 72.78%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays upped their target price on Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $135.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Hershey from $173.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $173.89.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, SVP James Turoff sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $227,500.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 25,321 shares in the company, valued at $4,431,175. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $240,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 87,627 shares of company stock valued at $16,043,435. Company 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.