Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Insider Rohit Grover Sells 3,500 Shares

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at $7,814,787.76. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Hershey Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $231.35 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.92 billion, a PE ratio of 53.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $150.04 and a 52 week high of $234.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $201.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $189.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19.

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

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 133.87%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 1,537.5% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 123.0% during the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Argus upgraded shares of Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $188.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $222.21.

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.