Nykredit A S Acquires New Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Nykredit A/S acquired 75,206 Hershey shares worth approximately $13.2 million during the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of HSY.
• Hershey exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.90 in EPS versus the $1.43 consensus and $2.79 billion in revenue, up 6.6% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, equivalent to an annualized $5.81 payout and a 3.4% yield; analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with a $204.78 price target.

Nykredit A S bought a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 75,206 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,195,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of HSY. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $9,633,000. Prudential PLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 237.3% during the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 7,988 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,454,000 after buying an additional 5,620 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,744,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Hershey by 126.4% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 84,215 shares of the company's stock worth $17,508,000 after acquiring an additional 47,017 shares during the period. Finally, Arbejdsmarkedets Tillaegspension purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $23,675,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hershey Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:HSY opened at $173.26 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.67, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $161.43 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $178.96 and a 200 day moving average of $192.73.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.21 earnings per share. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group upped their target price on Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Evercore set a $225.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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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