43,659 Shares in Hershey Company (The) $HSY Acquired by EP Wealth Advisors LLC

Key Points

• EP Wealth Advisors acquired 43,659 Hershey shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $7.66 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of Hershey’s outstanding stock.
• Hershey exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.90 in earnings per share versus the $1.43 consensus estimate and $2.79 billion in revenue, up 6.6% year over year.
• Hershey declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, equivalent to an annualized $5.81 and a 3.1% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $204.78.

EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 43,659 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,660,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Down 1.1%

HSY opened at $186.27 on Friday. Hershey Company has a one year low of $161.43 and a one year high of $239.48. The company has a market cap of $37.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.45, a PEG ratio of 1.15 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. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $178.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $195.50.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the subject of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. DA Davidson set a $190.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hershey from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.

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