Janus Henderson Group PLC Boosts Holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 6.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,487,565 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 90,329 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 0.74% of Hershey worth $289,327,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Hershey during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 125.3% during the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $179.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on Hershey from $197.00 to $192.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on Hershey from $237.00 to $230.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Argus reduced their target price on Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $204.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.89.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock traded up $1.41 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $193.97. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,717,985 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,851,236. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company’s 50 day moving average is $190.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.56. The Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $178.82 and a fifty-two week high of $235.80. The stock has a market cap of $39.23 billion, a PE ratio of 19.08, a P/E/G ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.36.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $3.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.11 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 50.15% and a net margin of 18.13%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.96 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that The Hershey Company will post 9.58 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 54.31%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.93, for a total value of $274,395.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 35,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,535,723.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $867,450. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Company 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.