Monte Financial Group LLC Has $6.99 Million Stake in Hershey Company (The) $HSY
by Michael Walen · The Markets DailyMonte Financial Group LLC cut its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY – Free Report) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,399 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,144 shares during the period. Hershey accounts for 2.6% of Monte Financial Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Monte Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,988,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Liberty One Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 38,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,122,000 after purchasing an additional 9,309 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 166.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 39,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,332,000 after purchasing an additional 24,509 shares in the last quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 113,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,276,000 after purchasing an additional 7,064 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its position in shares of Hershey by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 42,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,957,000 after purchasing an additional 2,573 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 60,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,406,000 after acquiring an additional 5,239 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Hershey Stock Up 0.9%
Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $208.82 on Thursday. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $150.04 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $217.78 and a 200 day moving average of $196.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.33 billion, a PE ratio of 48.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Hershey Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.452 dividend. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 133.87%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
HSY has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Hershey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, DA Davidson set a $243.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $222.21.
Get Our Latest Research Report on Hershey
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Hershey news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,277,008.52. The trade was a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,814,787.76. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,195,945 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.
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.
Further Reading
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HSY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY – Free Report).