Apollon Wealth Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 158.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,512 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,275 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,242,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $3,472,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,852,320. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the insider owned 38,068 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 65,704 shares of company stock worth $12,206,910 in the last quarter. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Hershey from $192.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $187.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Hershey from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, 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 note on Thursday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $175.89.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY opened at $192.19 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $186.17 and a 200 day moving average of $174.16. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $208.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $38.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.52, a PEG ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 0.26.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The company had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. Hershey’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 year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were issued 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 yield of 2.9%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 72.78%.

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.