Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Acquires 4,465 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ boosted its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 51,396 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,465 shares during the period. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Hershey were worth $9,614,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total transaction of $329,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 50,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,162,901.54. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $910,260 over the last 90 days. 0.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Stock Up 2.1%

Hershey stock opened at $226.38 on Tuesday. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $150.04 and a fifty-two week high of $234.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.91 billion, a PE ratio of 52.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.18. The company’s 50-day moving average is $198.97 and its 200-day moving average is $188.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

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

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $1.452 dividend. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $188.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.74.

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.