Hershey Company (The) $HSY Stock: Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC Grows Stake

Key Points

• Foster Victor Wealth Advisors increased its Hershey stake by 36.8% in the third quarter, owning 105,645 shares valued at approximately $17.6 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 57.96% of HSY.
• Analysts have recently reduced their price targets, with JPMorgan, Barclays, and Wells Fargo lowering estimates to $183, $178, and $170, respectively. Hershey has an overall “Hold” consensus rating and an average price target of $199.44.
• Hershey reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, including $1.90 EPS and $2.79 billion in revenue, while its shares opened at $167.93. The company pays an annualized dividend of $5.81, yielding about 3.5%.

Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 36.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 105,645 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 28,446 shares during the quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC owned 0.05% of Hershey worth $17,643,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. First Pacific Financial purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the topic of a number of research reports. DA Davidson set a $190.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings lowered Hershey from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Hershey from $193.00 to $183.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $178.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $199.44.

Hershey Stock Down 1.0%

NYSE:HSY opened at $167.93 on Thursday. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $156.16 and a 1-year high of $239.48. The company has a 50-day moving average of $172.05 and a 200 day moving average of $180.18. The firm has a market cap of $33.74 billion, a PE ratio of 22.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.10. 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 (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a $1.4520 dividend. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 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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