Jupiter Topco LLC Buys New Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Jupiter Topco acquired 17,816 Hershey shares during the second quarter, valued at approximately $3.125 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” from 23 analysts, with an average price target of $204.78. Several firms recently lowered their targets to between $190 and $201.
• Hershey exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.90 in EPS and $2.79 billion in revenue, while revenue rose 6.6% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, representing a 3.3% annualized yield.

Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 17,816 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,125,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Syon Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company's stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company's stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company's stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company's stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and issued a $191.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $201.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America decreased their target price on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $204.78.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the 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 sale, the chief financial officer 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock opened at $177.42 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $179.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $193.19. The company has a market cap of $35.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.11. 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 Company has a fifty-two week low of $161.43 and a fifty-two 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion for 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 revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.21 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Hershey's payout ratio is 79.23%.

About Hershey

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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