21,597 Shares in Hershey Company (The) $HSY Purchased by Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI

Key Points

• Citizens Financial Group purchased 21,597 Hershey shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $3.79 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 57.96% of HSY.
• Hershey reported quarterly earnings of $1.90 per share, beating consensus estimates of $1.43, while revenue rose 6.6% year over year to $2.79 billion.
• Hershey declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $5.81 and a 3.2% yield. Analysts maintain an average “Hold” rating with a $203.61 price target.

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI bought a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 21,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,789,000.

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

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $181.17 on Tuesday. Hershey Company has a one year low of $161.43 and a one year high of $239.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 1.18. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $177.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $195.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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 given a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Evercore set a $225.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price objective on Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Hershey from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $203.61.

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.

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