Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Purchased by Swedbank AB

Swedbank AB boosted its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 145,529 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,660 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned 0.07% of Hershey worth $27,221,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.51, for a total value of $282,765.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,145,419.69. This represents a 2.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,102,725. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $184.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.83. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $199.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.44 billion, a PE ratio of 27.60 and a beta of 0.19. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $180.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.83.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.34 EPS. The firm’s 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, equities research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Hershey from $188.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 10th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Hershey from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Argus upgraded Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Barclays set a $188.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $184.95.

Hershey Company Profile

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.