Equitable Holdings Inc. Invests $7.86 Million in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Equitable Holdings Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 44,798 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,860,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Centaurus Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $141,000. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $640,000. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the second quarter worth approximately $603,000. Blue Edge Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at $353,000. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter valued at $206,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 2.4%

NYSE:HSY opened at $180.99 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $179.04 and a 200 day moving average of $194.65. 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 has a market cap of $36.36 billion, a PE ratio of 24.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $161.43 and a 1-year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on HSY. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Evercore set a $225.00 price target on Hershey in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 price objective on Hershey in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.78.

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.