Tobam Reduces Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Tobam cut its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,449 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,863 shares during the period. Hershey makes up 2.8% of Tobam’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Tobam’s holdings in Hershey were worth $7,566,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Hershey by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,618,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 11.1% during the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 2,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Hershey by 4.8% during the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 58,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,695,000 after buying an additional 2,659 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC raised its position in Hershey by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 82,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,626,000 after buying an additional 626 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stanley Laman Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Hershey by 95.2% during the 2nd quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 2,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $462,000 after acquiring an additional 1,358 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $220.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total transaction of $298,005.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 52,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,394,215.73. This represents a 2.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Down 1.9%

Hershey stock opened at $222.06 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $194.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $187.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $150.04 and a twelve month high of $234.87. The company has a market capitalization of $45.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.18.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The company had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. Hershey’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 126.27%.

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.