Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC Buys 3,500 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 5.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 65,039 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares during the quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $12,691,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 794.6% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 11,371 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,945,000 after purchasing an additional 10,100 shares in the last quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its stake in Hershey by 116.1% in the first quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 8,424 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,438,000 after acquiring an additional 4,525 shares during the last quarter. CW Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 45.0% in the 1st quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 5,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $906,000 after acquiring an additional 1,648 shares during the period. Norinchukin Bank The increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 7,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 923 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 269,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,137,000 after purchasing an additional 9,153 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $189.40 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. The firm has a market cap of $38.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.31 and a beta of 0.19. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $181.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.33. Hershey Company has a one year low of $140.13 and a one year high of $199.00.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was 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 directly owned 53,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,145,419.69. The trade was a 2.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner purchased 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,102,725 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on HSY shares. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Hershey from $204.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 31st. 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.