Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Purchased by Wellington Management Group LLP

Key Points

• Wellington Management increased its Hershey position by 18.2% in the second quarter, owning 93,196 shares valued at approximately $16.35 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 57.96% of HSY stock.
• Hershey reported quarterly EPS of $1.90, exceeding the $1.43 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6.6% year over year to $2.79 billion.
• Analysts maintain a generally cautious outlook, with seven Buy ratings and 16 Hold ratings producing an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.78. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, yielding about 3.4%.

Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 18.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 93,196 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,376 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP's holdings in Hershey were worth $16,351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $959,000. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $13,416,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth $4,431,000. RB Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $1,105,000. Finally, Glenview Trust Co acquired a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at $974,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $191.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Evercore set a $225.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $201.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $204.78.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $173.26 on Monday. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $161.43 and a 12-month high of $239.48. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $178.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $192.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.21 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

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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