First Bank & Trust Makes New Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• First Bank & Trust acquired 9,863 Hershey shares during the third quarter, valued at approximately $1.56 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 57.96% of HSY.
• Analysts remain cautious, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $199.44; several firms recently lowered their targets.
• Hershey exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.90 in EPS and $2.79 billion in revenue, while maintaining a $5.81 annualized dividend yielding about 3.4%.

First Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 9,863 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,555,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,303,889,000. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth about $485,436,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth about $274,871,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Hershey by 1.7% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,210,466 shares of the company's stock worth $251,706,000 after acquiring an additional 19,772 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Hershey by 11.8% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,128,711 shares of the company's stock worth $198,032,000 after acquiring an additional 118,825 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Hershey from $193.00 to $183.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group set a $178.00 target price on Hershey in a report on Thursday. Barclays cut their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $178.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $199.44.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $170.90 on Monday. 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. The company has a market capitalization of $34.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.35, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.10. The firm's 50-day moving average is $172.93 and its 200 day moving average is $180.97.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

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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