Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Insider Purchases 200 Shares

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) insider Stacy Taffet bought 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,786.49. This represents a 2.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Hershey Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $0.85 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $186.65. The company had a trading volume of 1,338,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,774,310. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.79, a PEG ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $183.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $177.13. 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 one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $208.03.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.91%.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of HSY. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $10,235,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 3.4% in the third quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 14,808 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,769,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Oarsman Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at approximately $387,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 248.0% during the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 7,051 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,319,000 after buying an additional 5,025 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.0% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 13,844 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,589,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of several research reports. 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. Barclays set a $188.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, November 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley restated a “mixed” rating and issued a $184.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $179.74.

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.