Wallace Capital Management Inc. Makes New Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Wallace Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 6,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,199,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HSY. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $185.77 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 1.18. Hershey Company has a one year low of $161.43 and a one year high of $239.48. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $178.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $195.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.38, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.21 earnings per share. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Mizuho cut their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $201.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.78.

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.