Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Takes $3.73 Million Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 19,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,733,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 1.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,840,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,126,594,000 after purchasing an additional 210,131 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,116,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $849,123,000 after buying an additional 125,100 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,567,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $755,305,000 after buying an additional 126,519 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Hershey by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,276,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $543,712,000 after acquiring an additional 144,640 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Hershey by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,420,491 shares of the company’s stock worth $235,731,000 after acquiring an additional 29,462 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 2.8%

Hershey stock opened at $190.60 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $186.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $183.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $140.13 and a 12 month high of $201.86. The stock has a market cap of $38.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49 and a beta of 0.18.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were paid a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 81.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $182.00 price target on Hershey and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Hershey from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Hershey from $204.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Hershey in a report on Thursday, December 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $181.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $191.83.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Stacy Taffet bought 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. The trade was a 2.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Hershey 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.