Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA Acquires 275 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 19.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,661 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the quarter. Mitchell Sinkler & Starr PA’s holdings in Hershey were worth $276,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 129.5% in the 1st quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Fort Vancouver Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of HSY opened at $192.19 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $208.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $186.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $174.13. The stock has a market cap of $38.96 billion, a PE ratio of 25.52, a PEG ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 0.26.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.23. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%.The business had revenue of $2.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.809-5.997 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th were given a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 72.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $240,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,852,240. The trade was a 3.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 5,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $900,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 61,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,037,420. The trade was a 7.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 65,704 shares of company stock worth $12,206,910. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on HSY shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Hershey from $154.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Hershey from $192.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Hershey from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $175.89.

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.