12,208 Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Sold by Mather Group LLC.

Key Points

• Mather Group LLC cut its Hershey stake by 82.5% in the third quarter, selling 12,208 shares and retaining 2,588 shares valued at approximately $408,000.
• Institutional ownership remains significant at 57.96%, with several major firms—including BlackRock, GQG Partners, and Bank of America—initiating positions in Hershey.
• Hershey reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with $1.90 in EPS and $2.79 billion in revenue. Analysts’ consensus rating is “Hold,” with an average price target of $199.44 versus a share price of $170.90.

Mather Group LLC. trimmed its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 82.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,588 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,208 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $408,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,303,889,000. GQG Partners LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth approximately $485,436,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter worth $274,871,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter worth $183,623,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Hershey by 315.4% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,083,675 shares of the company's stock valued at $225,285,000 after acquiring an additional 822,772 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $170.90 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.10. The business's 50 day moving average is $172.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $156.16 and a 12-month high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%. The firm's revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a $1.4520 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $178.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. UBS Group set a $178.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $199.44.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company NYSE: HSY is a global confectionery and snack food manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894, the company began as a chocolate producer and has grown into one of the largest branded snack businesses in North America.

Hershey's portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, gum and mints, and salty snacks. Its brands include Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Kit Kat in the United States under license from Nestlé, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot's Pretzels.

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