Hershey Company (The) $HSY Stake Decreased by Alps Advisors Inc.

Alps Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 53.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,911 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,809 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Stacy Taffet purchased 200 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler set a $213.00 price objective on Hershey and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $236.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $238.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $188.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $218.21.

Hershey Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $230.52 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $46.75 billion, a PE ratio of 53.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.18. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $192.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $186.88. 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 Company has a 52-week low of $150.04 and a 52-week high of $234.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 126.27%.

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.