Occidental Asset Management LLC Purchases Shares of 24,116 Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Occidental Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 24,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,231,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

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 value of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 price target on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Barclays reduced their target price on Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.61.

Hershey Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE:HSY opened at $181.17 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $177.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $195.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $161.43 and a 12 month high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The business had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.21 EPS. The firm’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. Analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued 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 (DPR) is currently 79.37%.

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.