Hershey Company (The) $HSY Stock: Willis Investment Counsel Reduces Stake

Key Points

• Willis Investment Counsel cut its Hershey stake by 14.3% in the third quarter, selling 27,248 shares and retaining 163,492 shares valued at approximately $25.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of the company.
• Hershey shares recently traded at $168.75, near the lower end of their 12-month range of $156.16 to $239.48. The stock carries a “Hold” consensus rating, with an average analyst price target of $199.44.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $1.90, beating estimates of $1.43, while revenue rose 6.6% year over year to $2.79 billion. Hershey also maintains a quarterly dividend of $1.452, yielding about 3.4% annually.

Willis Investment Counsel decreased its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 14.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 163,492 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,248 shares during the quarter. Hershey accounts for 1.1% of Willis Investment Counsel's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Willis Investment Counsel owned about 0.08% of Hershey worth $25,768,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter valued at $26,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY traded up $1.75 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $168.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 471,215 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,837,338. The company has a 50-day moving average of $172.62 and a 200-day moving average of $180.68. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $156.16 and a 12 month high of $239.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market cap of $33.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during 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 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, sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a $1.4520 dividend. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore set a $225.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $201.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $198.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $178.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Hershey from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. 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.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $199.44.

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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