3,559 Shares in Hershey Company (The) $HSY Acquired by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 3,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $624,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Trading Down 1.5%

Hershey stock opened at $187.18 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $178.67 and a 200-day moving average of $195.27. Hershey Company has a one year low of $161.43 and a one year high of $239.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The company has a market cap of $37.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. TD Cowen raised Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 target price on Hershey in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.