Lafayette Investments Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Lafayette Investments Inc. lessened its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,748 shares of the company’s stock after selling 154 shares during the period. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,452,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Liberty One Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 28,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,774,000 after buying an additional 3,160 shares in the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 2.2% during the second quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 3,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $608,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 8.9% in the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CORDA Investment Management LLC. grew its holdings in Hershey by 11.8% in the second quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 106,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,704,000 after purchasing an additional 11,290 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $186.18 on Tuesday. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month 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 company has a market cap of $37.74 billion, a PE ratio of 24.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.26. The company’s 50 day moving average is $186.49 and its 200 day moving average is $175.05.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total transaction of $3,742,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,563,056. This trade represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.12, for a total value of $283,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 58,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,029,289.28. This represents a 2.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 40,080 shares of company stock valued at $7,594,590. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Mizuho increased their price objective on Hershey from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. DA Davidson raised their price target on Hershey from $171.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $170.00 to $222.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $176.21.

Hershey 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.