Hillman Capital Management Inc. Has $3.09 Million Stake in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Hillman Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 14.7% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 18,608 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,200 shares during the period. Hillman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,088,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth about $55,269,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its holdings in Hershey by 8.2% in the first quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 20,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,428,000 after purchasing an additional 1,524 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Hershey by 48.2% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 133,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,893,000 after buying an additional 43,534 shares during the period. National Pension Service boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 230,069 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,349,000 after buying an additional 796 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,291 shares of the company’s stock worth $734,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE HSY opened at $182.05 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $181.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $179.20. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $199.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.21 and a beta of 0.19.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of 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 reduced their target price on Hershey from $205.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $181.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Hershey from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $183.32.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner acquired 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,103,640 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.