eCIO Inc. Invests $97,000 in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

eCIO Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $97,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Hershey by 7.7% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,991,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $853,720,000 after buying an additional 356,249 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,753,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $470,858,000 after acquiring an additional 557,056 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 38.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,628,047 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,710,000 after acquiring an additional 453,428 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Hershey by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,590,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,092,000 after purchasing an additional 11,946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in Hershey by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 1,237,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,227,000 after purchasing an additional 356,105 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $185.64 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $37.63 billion, a PE ratio of 24.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 0.27. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $180.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $171.66.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.27 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 72.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the 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 $6,852,240. This trade represents a 3.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 21st. The stock was 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 directly owned 61,319 shares in the company, valued at $11,037,420. This represents a 7.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 86,127 shares of company stock valued at $15,759,755. 0.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $171.22.

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.