Fulton Bank N.A. Grows Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Fulton Bank significantly increased its Hershey holdings by 341.6% in the second quarter, owning 7,119 shares valued at approximately $1.25 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 57.96% of HSY stock.
• Hershey reported strong quarterly results, with adjusted earnings of $1.90 per share versus the $1.43 consensus estimate and revenue of $2.79 billion, up 6.6% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, equivalent to a 3.2% annualized yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating, with an average price target of $203.61.

Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 341.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,119 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,507 shares during the quarter. Fulton Bank N.A.'s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,249,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,633,000. Prudential PLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 237.3% in the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 7,988 shares of the company's stock worth $1,454,000 after purchasing an additional 5,620 shares in the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial lifted its stake in Hershey by 38,266.7% in the 4th quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 5,755 shares of the company's stock worth $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 5,740 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $2,744,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Hershey by 126.4% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 84,215 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,508,000 after purchasing an additional 47,017 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 53,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of HSY opened at $182.09 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $36.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.11. 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. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $177.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $195.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Bank of America reduced their target price on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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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