Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank trimmed its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 4.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 426,600 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,300 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Hershey were worth $79,796,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth $41,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Stephens lifted their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Argus upgraded shares of Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $222.21.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 50,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,162,901.54. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,153,645. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY opened at $218.74 on Wednesday. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $150.04 and a 12-month high of $239.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.40, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.14. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $208.64 and a 200-day moving average of $192.68.

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

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 133.87%.

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.