Schroder Investment Management Group Cuts Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Schroder Investment Management Group lowered its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 15.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 122,508 shares of the company’s stock after selling 22,886 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group owned approximately 0.06% of Hershey worth $20,330,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in Hershey by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 78,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,030,000 after purchasing an additional 1,603 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth $234,386,000. Scotia Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.0% during the second quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 6,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,018,000 after buying an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 4.1% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 21,168 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,513,000 after buying an additional 828 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Korea Investment CORP lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 15.3% in the second quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 34,247 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,683,000 after buying an additional 4,553 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CEO Kirk Tanner acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.56, for a total value of $269,340.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 55,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,933,079.64. The trade was a 2.64% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,103,640 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $183.01 on Wednesday. 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 0.89, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $37.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.18. The business has a fifty day moving average of $183.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.07.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.34 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.91%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $204.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Hershey from $188.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Argus raised Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Hershey from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $179.74.

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.