J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Purchases 389 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 13,086 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 389 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,172,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Associated Banc Corp increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 8.9% during the second quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 2,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 16,495.4% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 29,042 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,820,000 after acquiring an additional 28,867 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,530,000. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Hershey by 31.6% during the 2nd quarter. Quadcap Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,365 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,056,000 after purchasing an additional 1,530 shares during the period. Finally, Adalta Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 135.2% in the 2nd quarter. Adalta Capital Management LLC now owns 2,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $188.39 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $183.39 and its 200 day moving average is $177.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 0.89. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $208.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.02, a P/E/G ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.24.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.24. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.34 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 81.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Evercore ISI restated a “positive” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Hershey from $204.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a “mixed” rating and set a $184.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $179.74.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CEO Kirk Tanner acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,876,115.60. This represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.56, for a total value of $269,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 55,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,933,079.64. This trade represents a 2.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,103,640. 0.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.