Hershey Company (The) $HSY Holdings Raised by Hudson Bay Capital Management LP

Hudson Bay Capital Management LP increased its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 347.9% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 37,977 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 29,499 shares during the quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP’s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.56, for a total transaction of $269,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 55,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,933,079.64. The trade was a 2.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,103,640. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Evercore ISI reiterated a “positive” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, October 31st. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $181.00 price target on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $184.16.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $188.42 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $181.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $179.70. The stock has a market cap of $38.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.16 and a beta of 0.18. 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 one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $199.00.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.34 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a $1.37 dividend. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.91%.

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.