Rep. Julie Johnson Buys The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Shares

Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently bought shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY). In a filing disclosed on February 12th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Hershey stock on January 15th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “MERRILL LYNCH TAX EFFICIENT CORE” account.

Representative Julie Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) on 1/28/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) on 1/28/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Intuit (NASDAQ:INTU) on 1/28/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of ALLETE (NYSE:ALE) on 1/28/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) on 1/27/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Progressive (NYSE:PGR) on 1/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS) on 1/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Chubb (NYSE:CB) on 1/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) on 1/24/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) on 1/17/2025.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock traded down $1.50 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $157.95. The company had a trading volume of 312,331 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,976,284. The stock has a market cap of $31.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.49, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $162.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $179.58. The Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $140.13 and a 52-week high of $211.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $2.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.29. Hershey had a net margin of 19.83% and a return on equity of 44.77%. Research analysts anticipate that The Hershey Company will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 50.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 2,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $460,000 after buying an additional 636 shares during the last quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 23.9% in the 4th quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 36,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,222,000 after purchasing an additional 7,096 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 2,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $439,000 after purchasing an additional 448 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 426,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,026,000 after purchasing an additional 86,424 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp increased its position in Hershey by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 1,096,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,743,000 after purchasing an additional 132,019 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CAO Jennifer Mccalman sold 278 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.00, for a total value of $41,144.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,682 shares in the company, valued at $396,936. This represents a 9.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup raised Hershey from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $159.00 to $154.00 in a report on Friday, February 7th. Piper Sandler downgraded Hershey from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $153.00 to $120.00 in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $180.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $150.00 to $140.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $164.15.

About Representative Johnson

Julie Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Julie Johnson earned a B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Johnson’s career experience includes working as an attorney.

About Hershey

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.