UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Purchases 34,873 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,120,257 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 34,873 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $196,549,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Syon Capital LLC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co raised 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 purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $201.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America dropped their target price on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 price target on Hershey in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.78.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock opened at $176.36 on Tuesday. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $161.43 and a 1-year high of $239.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.44 billion, a PE ratio of 24.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.11. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $179.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $193.92.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other 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 in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents 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.

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.