Midwest Trust Co Makes New $1.06 Million Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Midwest Trust Co acquired a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 6,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,063,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new position in Hershey during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Whittier Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $47,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 20th. The shares were 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 $10,654,698.88. This trade represents a 2.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $172.70 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $184.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.18. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $35.02 billion, a PE ratio of 22.93, a P/E/G ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.24.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 81.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Hershey from $204.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $179.05.

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.