Hershey (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven Voskuil Sells 1,500 Shares

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total value of $329,490.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 50,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,162,901.54. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Hershey Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE HSY traded up $0.98 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $220.89. 309,265 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,167,548. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $150.04 and a 1 year high of $234.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.91, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The business has a 50 day moving average of $197.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $188.34.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.69 EPS. Hershey’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 133.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $238.00 price objective on Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $188.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $218.74.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 123.0% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hershey

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.