iSAM Funds UK Ltd Boosts Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

iSAM Funds UK Ltd raised its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 219.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,710 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,111 shares during the quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,441,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AXA S.A. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 24.1% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 70,923 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,770,000 after buying an additional 13,766 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 5.4% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 22,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,149 shares during the period. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter worth about $114,000. Ossiam raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 40.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ossiam now owns 12,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,992,000 after purchasing an additional 3,472 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,975,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 0.9%

HSY opened at $180.69 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $182.61 and its 200-day moving average is $178.83. 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 0.83, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.01 and a beta of 0.18.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.24. Hershey had a net margin of 11.84% and a return on equity of 32.08%. The business 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 firm earned $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. Analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 81.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, October 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $182.79.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CEO Kirk Tanner purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at $8,876,115.60. The trade was a 4.36% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the purchase, 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 disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,103,640. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.