B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Takes $6.14 Million Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired 35,002 Hershey shares in the second quarter, representing a position valued at approximately $6.14 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of HSY.
• Hershey exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.90 in EPS versus the $1.43 consensus and $2.79 billion in revenue, up 6.6% year over year. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.36–$8.52.
• Analysts maintain a broadly cautious outlook, with a consensus “Hold” rating and a $204.78 price target. Hershey also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, implying a 3.1% annualized yield.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG acquired a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 35,002 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,141,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of HSY. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen raised Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $210.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hershey from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report 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 company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $204.78.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $186.27 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $37.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.45, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $178.40 and a 200 day moving average of $195.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.66. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $161.43 and a 1-year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during 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%. The firm's revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.23%.

About Hershey

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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