Van ECK Associates Corp Cuts Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Van ECK Associates Corp decreased its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 917,852 shares of the company’s stock after selling 71,797 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $161,037,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Down 1.1%

HSY stock opened at $179.34 on Friday. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $161.43 and a twelve month high of $239.48. 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 company has a market capitalization of $36.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.50, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $179.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $194.54.

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

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 79.37%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $201.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, DA Davidson set a $190.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.78.

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.