Jupiter Topco LLC Takes Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 17,816 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,125,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Syon Capital LLC grew its position in Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co lifted its position in Hershey by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.3% during the 4th 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 period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $177.42 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $179.11 and its 200-day moving average is $193.19. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $161.43 and a 12 month high of $239.48. The firm has a market cap of $35.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter 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 expect that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $201.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group increased their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.