Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Sold by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp cut its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 10.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,548 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,675 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $7,585,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 1,537.5% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 46.3% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 1.5%

HSY stock opened at $219.24 on Wednesday. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $150.04 and a 52 week high of $234.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $195.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $187.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.18.

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

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 126.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Argus upgraded shares of Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.74.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total transaction of $298,005.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,394,215.73. This represents a 2.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.