Ritholtz Wealth Management Has $363,000 Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Ritholtz Wealth Management lifted its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 11.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,185 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Hershey were worth $363,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HSY. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 129.5% during the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total value of $3,742,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,563,056. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.12, for a total transaction of $283,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 58,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,029,289.28. This represents a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 40,080 shares of company stock valued at $7,594,590 over the last three months. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $186.18 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.26. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $208.03. The company has a 50 day moving average of $186.49 and a 200-day moving average of $175.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $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 research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HSY. Bank of America increased their target price on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Hershey from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Mizuho increased their target price on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $193.00 target price on Hershey in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $176.21.

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.