Fifth Third Bancorp Sells 4,675 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Fifth Third Bancorp trimmed its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 10.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,548 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,675 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $7,585,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1,537.5% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kirk Tanner purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. The trade was a 4.36% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total value of $298,005.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 52,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,394,215.73. This represents a 2.79% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE:HSY opened at $219.24 on Wednesday. Hershey Company has a one year low of $150.04 and a one year high of $234.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.18. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $195.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $187.88.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 126.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HSY. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Argus raised Hershey to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Barclays increased their target price on Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $243.00 price target on Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $218.74.

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.