Hershey (NYSE:HSY) CFO Sells $281,280.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Hershey's CFO, Steven Voskuil, sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock for approximately $281,280, which decreased his ownership by 2.57%, leaving him with about 56,819 shares valued at around $10.65 million.
• The company's stock closed at $186.38, with a market cap of $37.78 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75.
• Hershey recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.37, with an annualized dividend yield of 2.9% and a payout ratio of 72.78%.

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $187.52, for a total value of $281,280.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 56,819 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,654,698.88. This represents a 2.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock traded up $0.17 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $186.38. The stock had a trading volume of 904,002 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,744,630. The company's 50 day moving average price is $186.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $175.05. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $140.13 and a 1-year high of $208.03. The stock has a market cap of $37.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.53.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were issued 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 72.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $193.00 price target on Hershey in a report on Thursday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Hershey from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $176.21.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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