Teacher Retirement System of Texas Grows Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 4.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,467 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 869 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Hershey were worth $3,728,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,991,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $853,720,000 after purchasing an additional 356,249 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Hershey by 25.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,753,077 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,858,000 after buying an additional 557,056 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.8% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,590,903 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,092,000 after buying an additional 11,946 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its position in Hershey by 40.4% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 1,237,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $208,227,000 after acquiring an additional 356,105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Hershey by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,020,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,536,000 after acquiring an additional 17,311 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 56,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,654,698.88. This trade represents a 2.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on HSY. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $179.32.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $169.86 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $208.03. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $186.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $175.97. The company has a market capitalization of $34.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.26. 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 data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.34 EPS. The company’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. Equities analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current 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 dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.78%.

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.