Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Buys New Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 38,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,825,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter valued at $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $186.27 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $37.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $161.43 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $178.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $195.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. The firm’s 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is currently 79.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America cut 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. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Mizuho cut their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Seven equities 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, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.78.

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.