Hershey (NYSE:HSY) SVP Jason Reiman Sells 2,000 Shares of Stock

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,277,008.52. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $231.35 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $150.04 and a 52-week high of $234.87. The company has a market cap of $46.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.18. 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $201.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $189.72.

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

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. 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 is 133.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on HSY. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $249.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $222.21.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of 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. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 21.0% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 499,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,851,000 after acquiring an additional 86,692 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Hershey by 149.9% during the 2nd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 14,691 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,438,000 after acquiring an additional 8,812 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in Hershey by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 22,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,728,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its position in Hershey by 25.0% in the second quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 71,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,935,000 after purchasing an additional 14,400 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently 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.