Steven Voskuil Sells 1,500 Shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Hershey Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $183.96 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $37.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $179.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $196.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $161.43 and a 1-year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.04 by $0.31. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.09 EPS. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $272,506,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Hershey by 546.6% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,057,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $192,439,000 after buying an additional 893,940 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 315.4% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,083,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,285,000 after buying an additional 822,772 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 150.1% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,278,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,731,000 after buying an additional 767,478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 4,478.5% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 586,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,666,000 after buying an additional 573,339 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey’s REESE’S OREO Cup is being promoted as one of the candy category’s most successful recent innovations. The anniversary campaign could support brand engagement, product momentum and seasonal sales. REESE’S OREO anniversary campaign
• Positive Sentiment: New Hershey and Morning Consult research suggests consumers are starting Halloween shopping and celebrations earlier, potentially creating more occasions for candy purchases and extending the seasonal selling period. Hershey Halloween consumer insights
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on Thursday’s second-quarter report. Expectations call for modest revenue growth, while analysts will likely scrutinize North American confectionery volumes, pricing, margins and management’s outlook. Hershey Q2 earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: The CFO’s sale of 1,500 shares worth $255,000 was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Because the executive retains more than $9 million in Hershey equity, the transaction is generally a limited signal about company fundamentals. Hershey CFO insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: RBC Capital Markets expects Hershey to miss second-quarter revenue estimates because of weak North American consumption data. The report reinforces downside risk to near-term sales and guidance. RBC Hershey revenue estimate
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Stifel cut its price target to $180 with a hold rating, while Mizuho previously reduced its target to $185. The overall consensus rating remains “Hold,” suggesting valuation and demand concerns are still significant. Hershey analyst ratings

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. BTIG Research started coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $204.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $208.28.

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.