ING Groep NV Makes New Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

ING Groep NV acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 39,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,302,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Hershey by 6.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,618,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 244.3% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 27,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,644,000 after acquiring an additional 19,855 shares in the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 21.0% in the 2nd quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 6,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,089,000 after acquiring an additional 1,139 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,948 shares of the company’s stock valued at $987,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in Hershey by 11.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 2,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, insider Stacy Taffet bought 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,786.49. This represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $238.00 price objective on Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Stephens increased their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $220.30.

Hershey Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $226.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $45.89 billion, a PE ratio of 52.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $150.04 and a 1 year high of $234.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $193.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $187.15.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The company 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors 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 yield of 2.6%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 126.27%.

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.