NewEdge Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• NewEdge Advisors cut its Hershey stake by 25.7% in the second quarter, selling 6,357 shares and retaining 18,367 shares valued at approximately $3.22 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of HSY.
• Analysts remain cautious, with Hershey receiving a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $204.78 after several firms lowered their targets.
• Hershey reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting $1.90 in EPS and $2.79 billion in revenue, while maintaining a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, equivalent to a 3.4% annualized yield.

NewEdge Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 25.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,367 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,357 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $3,222,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HSY. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,303,889,000. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 9,106,431 shares of the company's stock worth $1,657,189,000 after buying an additional 169,660 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,831,101 shares of the company's stock worth $876,434,000 after buying an additional 104,024 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at $485,436,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Hershey by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,395,644 shares of the company's stock valued at $290,141,000 after buying an additional 127,113 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Barclays reduced their target price on Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Bank of America dropped their price target on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $204.78.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Hershey Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of HSY opened at $170.76 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $34.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.33, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 1.18. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $161.43 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $178.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $189.57.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The company 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.37%.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company is a global confectionery and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Its portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, salty snacks and pantry products sold under brands such as Hershey's, Reese's, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot's.

Milton S. Hershey founded the company in 1894, and its milk chocolate business helped establish Hershey, Pennsylvania, as a center of American chocolate production. The company has expanded beyond its original chocolate offerings through product development, licensing arrangements and acquisitions in the confectionery and snack categories.

Hershey serves consumers primarily in the United States and Canada and markets its products internationally through retail, e-commerce and other distribution channels.

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