Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 28.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,200 shares during the quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,964,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Liberty One Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 32.4% during the third quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 38,076 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,122,000 after purchasing an additional 9,309 shares during the period. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $271,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in Hershey by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 58,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,695,000 after buying an additional 2,659 shares during the period. Finally, CORDA Investment Management LLC. increased its stake in Hershey by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 113,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,276,000 after buying an additional 7,064 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Kirk Tanner purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $8,876,115.60. This represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,786.49. The trade was a 2.18% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,119,450. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $195.00 to $211.00 in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Piper Sandler set a $213.00 price target on shares of Hershey and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $181.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $191.83.

Hershey Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of HSY opened at $191.58 on Wednesday. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $201.86. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $38.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.64 and a beta of 0.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $186.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $184.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 32.08% and a net margin of 11.84%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.34 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Hershey

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.