Quantitative Investment Management LLC Acquires Shares of 18,312 Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Quantitative Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 18,312 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,212,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,303,889,000. GQG Partners LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $485,436,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $274,871,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $272,506,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $183,623,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Up 0.2%

Hershey stock opened at $179.34 on Monday. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $161.43 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $179.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $194.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 1.18.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey 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 in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays decreased 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. Bank of America lowered their target price on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 target price on Hershey in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus 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.