OLD National Bancorp IN Grows Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

OLD National Bancorp IN raised its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 68.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 42,812 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,439 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN’s holdings in Hershey were worth $8,008,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of HSY. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Stacy Taffet purchased 200 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average price 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.51, for a total transaction of $282,765.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,145,419.69. This trade represents a 2.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,102,725 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $182.36 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $181.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.77. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $199.00. The company has a market cap of $36.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.26 and a beta of 0.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.24. Hershey had a return on equity of 32.08% and a net margin of 11.84%.The firm had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.34 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 81.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays set a $188.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Evercore ISI reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $181.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Argus raised Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $184.95.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.