Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. Takes Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 22,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,033,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock opened at $186.27 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a one year low of $161.43 and a one year high of $239.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $178.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $195.49. 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The company 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%. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.21 earnings per share. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HSY. Evercore set a $225.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $201.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.78.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Company 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.