Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA Has $1.81 Million Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA reduced its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 36.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,426 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,381 shares during the period. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $559,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Abacus Planning Group Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners boosted its stake in Hershey by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Bellevue Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bellevue Asset Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in Hershey by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 798 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.0%

Hershey stock opened at $188.77 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $214.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $196.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.50, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $150.04 and a 52 week high of $239.48.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The business’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 133.87%.

Key Hershey News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs issued a Buy on HSY, providing visible analyst support and a higher price target that underpins upside for the stock. The Hershey Company (HSY) Gets a Buy from Goldman Sachs
• Neutral Sentiment: Hershey is overhauling its sustainability strategy; management says progress has been made but more work remains — a longer?term reputational/consumer trend that could help brand resilience but is unlikely to move near?term earnings. Why Hershey is making big changes to its sustainability strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares under a pre?arranged Rule 10b5?1 plan; the trade reduces his stake modestly but the plan reduces informational significance. Insider Selling: Hershey (NYSE:HSY) CFO Sells 1,500 Shares of Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus broker rating across firms remains around “Hold,” signaling no broad, decisive upgrade trend despite pockets of bullishness. Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus lowered its price target and maintained a Hold, trimming upside expectations and contributing to downside pressure on sentiment. The Hershey Company (HSY) Gets a Hold from Stifel Nicolaus
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan lowered its expectations for Hershey, adding to analyst headwinds that can pressure the stock until clearer demand or margin signals appear. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Shares recently traded lower (about a 1.4% intraday decline noted in market summaries), reflecting immediate investor reaction to the mix of downgrades, lowered targets and insider activity. Hershey (HSY) Registers a Bigger Fall Than the Market: Important Facts to Note
• Negative Sentiment: Recent media pieces highlight a more pessimistic near?term forecast from Stifel/other outlets, amplifying the analyst-driven downside narrative. Stifel Nicolaus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at $7,814,787.76. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at $9,277,008.52. The trade was a 4.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,189,090. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $236.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $223.83.

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.