Hershey Company (The) $HSY Holdings Cut by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management cut its Hershey position by 16.1% in the third quarter, selling 38,400 shares and retaining 199,882 shares valued at approximately $31.5 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 57.96% of HSY.
• Hershey reported quarterly earnings of $1.90 per share, beating estimates of $1.43, while revenue rose 6.6% year over year to $2.79 billion. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.36–$8.52.
• HSY recently traded at $170.90 and pays an annualized dividend of $5.81, yielding 3.4%. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating, with an average price target of $199.44.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. cut its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 16.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 199,882 shares of the company's stock after selling 38,400 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.10% of Hershey worth $31,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $2,303,889,000. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $485,436,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,395,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $290,141,000 after acquiring an additional 127,113 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,210,466 shares of the company's stock valued at $251,706,000 after acquiring an additional 19,772 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 315.4% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,083,675 shares of the company's stock worth $225,285,000 after acquiring an additional 822,772 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE HSY opened at $170.90 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $172.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $181.20. 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 Company has a one year low of $156.16 and a one year high of $239.48. The firm has a market cap of $34.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.35, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.10.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced 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 firm had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a $1.4520 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $193.00 to $183.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. DA Davidson set a $190.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Evercore set a $225.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, 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 research note on Friday, August 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $199.44.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

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

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company NYSE: HSY is a global confectionery and snack food company headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894, the company began as a chocolate manufacturer and has grown into one of the largest producers of confectionery products in North America.

Hershey's portfolio includes chocolate, candy, gum, mints, protein bars and salty snacks. Its well-known brands include Hershey's, Reese's, Kisses, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot's.

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