Paralel Advisors LLC Makes New $1.95 Million Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Paralel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 11,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,951,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,633,000. Prudential PLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 237.3% in the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 7,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,454,000 after acquiring an additional 5,620 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,744,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in Hershey by 126.4% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 84,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,508,000 after acquiring an additional 47,017 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $23,675,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $188.71 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $37.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $178.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $195.57. 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 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. Hershey’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Evercore set a $225.00 price target on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 price objective on Hershey in a report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $191.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.61.

About Hershey

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.