Hershey (NYSE:HSY) CFO Sells $260,145.00 in Stock

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total transaction of $260,145.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 54,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,485,753.85. This represents a 2.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Hershey Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $183.27 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $37.17 billion, a PE ratio of 34.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.09. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $186.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $198.22. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $160.07 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.09 EPS. Hershey’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.19%.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HSY. Norges Bank bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $272,506,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Hershey by 546.6% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,057,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $192,439,000 after acquiring an additional 893,940 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Hershey by 240.0% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,262,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,183,000 after acquiring an additional 891,287 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 150.1% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,278,881 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,731,000 after acquiring an additional 767,478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 4,478.5% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 586,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,666,000 after acquiring an additional 573,339 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary points to stronger sentiment around Hershey’s earnings outlook, including reaffirmed 2026 guidance and signs that margin pressure from commodity-derivative losses may be easing as the company works through volatile cocoa costs. Hershey rises as investors lean on outlook and margin recovery hopes
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey’s salty snacks business is showing strength, with growth in brands like LesserEvil, Dot’s, Reese’s Filled Pretzels, and snack mixes adding to the company’s growth story beyond chocolate. Hershey’s Salty Snacks Business Shows Strength Beyond LesserEvil
• Positive Sentiment: The company named Heather Hoytink as President, U.S., which may reassure investors about leadership continuity and commercial execution in a key market. The Hershey Company Names Heather Hoytink President, US

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 4th. BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $211.00 to $204.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $218.06.

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.