267,910 Shares in Hershey Company (The) $HSY Acquired by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 267,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,005,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. AFT Forsyth & Company Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter valued at $266,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $183,623,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth $34,447,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth $223,000. Finally, Sone Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,533,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of HSY opened at $180.99 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $161.43 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a market capitalization of $36.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.72, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.11. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $179.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $194.65.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.21 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 79.23%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $201.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. DA Davidson set a $190.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Hershey from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.