1,046,583 Shares in Hershey Company (The) $HSY Bought by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 1,046,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $183,623,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock opened at $185.77 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $37.33 billion, a PE ratio of 25.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $178.87 and a 200-day moving average of $195.00. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $161.43 and a 12-month high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued 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. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The business 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 posted $1.21 earnings per share. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 price objective on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. DA Davidson set a $190.00 target price on Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.78.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale 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.

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.