Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Acquires New Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $632,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. one8zero8 LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the second quarter worth $518,000. Kentucky Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth $2,193,000. West Family Investments Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $320,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $1,495,000. Finally, BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $64,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Down 1.1%

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

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued 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 3.1%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. TD Cowen upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. 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.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.78.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 transaction of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.