HUB Investment Partners LLC Makes New $1.12 Million Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

HUB Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 5,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,121,000.

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

Hershey Trading Down 0.6%

Hershey stock opened at $225.13 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $207.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $192.04. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $150.04 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market cap of $45.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.87, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.14.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.69 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Stephens raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Argus upgraded Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $222.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at $9,277,008.52. The trade was a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,153,645. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.