Toth Financial Advisory Corp Raises Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 47.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,512 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,005 shares during the quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,195,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $179.34 on Friday. Hershey Company has a one year low of $161.43 and a one year high of $239.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 1.18. The firm has a market cap of $36.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.50, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.11. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $179.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $194.54.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $201.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Hershey from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.78.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.