Man Group plc Acquires New Shares in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Man Group plc acquired a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 365,316 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $64,095,000. Man Group plc owned approximately 0.18% of Hershey as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Syon Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Venture Visionary Partners LLC grew its stake in Hershey by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value 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. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of HSY opened at $187.18 on Wednesday. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $161.43 and a 1-year high of $239.48. The company has a market capitalization of $37.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.11. 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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $178.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.27.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 79.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $191.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Evercore set a $225.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price objective on Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $201.00 price objective on shares of Hershey 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 MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.78.

About Hershey

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.