Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Bought by WINTON GROUP Ltd

Key Points

• WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its Hershey stake by 175% in the second quarter, owning 10,200 shares valued at approximately $1.79 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 57.96% of HSY.
• Hershey reported quarterly EPS of $1.90, beating the $1.43 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6.6% year over year to $2.79 billion. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.36–$8.52.
• Hershey declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, equivalent to an annualized $5.81 dividend and a 3.4% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $204.78.

WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 175.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,200 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,491 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd's holdings in Hershey were worth $1,790,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,310 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,618,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Hershey by 20.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 697 shares of the company's stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter valued at $267,000. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.5% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,927 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,975,000 after acquiring an additional 769 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.4% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 22,247 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,692,000 after acquiring an additional 1,149 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at $9,043,150. This represents 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. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $173.30 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $178.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $191.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.82 billion, a PE ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $161.43 and a 52-week high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The company 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%. Hershey's revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company 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 of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 79.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HSY. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group lifted their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $191.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $204.78.

Hershey Company Profile

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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