Bank of America Corp DE Purchases Shares of 1,566,662 Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Bank of America acquired 1,566,662 Hershey shares worth approximately $274.9 million in the second quarter, representing about 0.78% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of Hershey.
• Hershey reported quarterly EPS of $1.90, exceeding the $1.43 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $2.79 billion, up 6.6% year over year. The company maintained full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $8.36–$8.52.
• Shares opened at $170.76, near the lower end of their 52-week range, while analysts hold a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $204.78. Hershey also offers an annualized dividend of $5.81 per share, yielding 3.4%.

Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 1,566,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $274,871,000. Bank of America Corp DE owned approximately 0.78% of Hershey as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Syon Capital LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company's stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 4.3% during 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. Sylvest Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hershey by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Sylvest Advisors LLC now owns 5,042 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,048,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Finally, Faithward Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 2,935 shares of the company's stock worth $534,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock opened at $170.76 on Thursday. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $161.43 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The company has a market capitalization of $34.31 billion, a PE ratio of 23.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $178.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $189.57. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 79.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective 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. Barclays cut their price objective on Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $204.78.

About Hershey

The Hershey Company is a global confectionery and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Its portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, salty snacks and pantry products sold under brands such as Hershey's, Reese's, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot's.

Milton S. Hershey founded the company in 1894, and its milk chocolate business helped establish Hershey, Pennsylvania, as a center of American chocolate production. The company has expanded beyond its original chocolate offerings through product development, licensing arrangements and acquisitions in the confectionery and snack categories.

Hershey serves consumers primarily in the United States and Canada and markets its products internationally through retail, e-commerce and other distribution channels.

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