Hershey Company (The) $HSY Stake Boosted by Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC

Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC increased its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 1,367.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,058 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,350 shares during the period. Philip James Wealth Mangement LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its position in Hershey by 129.5% in 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 during the last quarter. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,563,056. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 58,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,029,289.28. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 65,704 shares of company stock worth $12,206,910. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $188.80 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $208.03. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $185.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $172.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.27 billion, a PE ratio of 25.07, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 0.26.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 13.54% and a return on equity of 37.36%. The business’s revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $160.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $174.05.

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.