Hershey (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven Voskuil Sells 1,500 Shares

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.71, for a total transaction of $325,065.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 59,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,974,210.99. This represents a 2.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Hershey Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $210.41 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $150.04 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The company’s 50 day moving average is $213.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $194.18. The company has a market cap of $42.65 billion, a PE ratio of 48.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. 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 earned $2.69 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 133.87%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HSY. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 16.6% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 29,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,378,000 after acquiring an additional 4,215 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in Hershey by 53.5% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 5,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $998,000 after purchasing an additional 1,912 shares in the last quarter. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $2,029,000. Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $236,000. Finally, Advisortrust Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $336,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HSY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $188.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Argus raised shares of Hershey to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $222.68.

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.