Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Invests $47.01 Million in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 267,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,005,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.13% of Hershey at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $180.99 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $161.43 and a 1-year high of $239.48. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $179.04 and its 200 day moving average is $194.65. The company has a market cap of $36.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.72, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.66.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Hershey from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $191.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $201.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.78.

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.