Legal & General Group Plc Makes New Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc acquired 1.05 million Hershey shares worth approximately $183.6 million, representing about 0.52% of the company. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 57.96% of HSY.
• Hershey reported quarterly EPS of $1.90, beating estimates of $1.43, while revenue rose 6.6% year over year to $2.79 billion. The company set fiscal 2026 EPS guidance at $8.36–$8.52.
• Hershey declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, equivalent to an annualized $5.81 payout and a 3.1% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $204.78.

Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,046,583 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $183,623,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.52% of Hershey at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $185.77 on Thursday. 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 twelve month low of $161.43 and a twelve month high of $239.48. The company has a fifty day moving average of $178.87 and a 200-day moving average of $195.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.63 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.21 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is 79.37%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSY. Weiss Ratings upgraded Hershey from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $204.78.

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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