Voya Investment Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Voya Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 30.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,029 shares of the company’s stock after selling 14,773 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,178,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Embree Financial Group purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $205,000. Wedmont Private Capital bought a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth $238,000. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Hershey by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 37,618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,036,000 after purchasing an additional 1,444 shares during the period. Ignite Planners LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 1,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Beacon Financial Group boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.8% during the third quarter. Beacon Financial Group now owns 3,906 shares of the company’s stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,786.49. This represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,102,725 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $184.65 on Thursday. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $199.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $180.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.60 and a beta of 0.19.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.06 by $0.24. Hershey had a net margin of 11.84% and a return on equity of 32.08%. The company had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.34 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.900-6.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th were given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $170.00 to $222.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $188.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 10th. Barclays set a $188.00 price target on Hershey in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $181.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Hershey from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $195.00 to $211.00 in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $184.95.

Hershey Company Profile

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.