Hsbc Holdings PLC Buys New Shares in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 356,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,664,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.18% of Hershey at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Syon Capital LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $185.77 on Thursday. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $161.43 and a 12-month high of $239.48. The company has a market capitalization of $37.33 billion, a PE ratio of 25.38, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $178.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $195.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 79.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, May 1st. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.78.

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.