PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Reduces Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lowered its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 2.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 277,703 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,552 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. owned 0.14% of Hershey worth $51,944,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1,537.5% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total transaction of $298,005.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,394,215.73. The trade was a 2.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at $8,876,115.60. The trade was a 4.36% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Stephens upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. DA Davidson set a $243.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $267.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Argus upgraded Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $220.30.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $222.06 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The business has a 50 day moving average of $195.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $187.66. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $150.04 and a 52 week high of $234.87. The company has a market cap of $45.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.17, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.18.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. The business’s quarterly 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, analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.