Heartland Advisors Inc. Makes New $15.58 Million Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Heartland Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 88,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,583,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth about $291,000. Paralel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter valued at about $1,951,000. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,174,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $6,141,000. Finally, NFJ Investment Group LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $82,254,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE:HSY opened at $186.27 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $178.40 and a 200-day moving average of $195.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $161.43 and a 52 week high of $239.48.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of several research reports. Mizuho decreased their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price target on Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 price objective on Hershey in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $201.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note 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 MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.78.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.