Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Takes $3.25 Million Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 18,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,249,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Syon Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $550,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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.

Hershey Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $189.92 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $178.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.40. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $161.43 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The firm has a market cap of $38.16 billion, a PE ratio of 25.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11. 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 (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $191.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target 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. Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $201.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.78.

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.