Occidental Asset Management LLC Purchases New Shares in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Occidental Asset Management initiated a Hershey position by purchasing 24,116 shares valued at approximately $4.23 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of Hershey’s outstanding stock.
• Hershey exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.90 in EPS versus a $1.43 consensus estimate and $2.79 billion in revenue, up 6.6% year over year. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.36–$8.52.
• Hershey declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, equivalent to an annualized $5.81 payout and a 3.2% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $203.61.

Occidental Asset Management LLC purchased 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 firm purchased 24,116 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,231,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Performance Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $263,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $116,977,000. Perigon Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $422,000. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $418,000. Finally, Principle Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $328,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company'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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale 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 currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $181.17 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $177.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.40 billion, a PE ratio of 24.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.11. 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.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given 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 yield of 3.2%. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 79.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $201.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings raised Hershey from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $203.61.

Hershey 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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