Swiss National Bank Lowers Stock Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank trimmed its Hershey stake by 4.8% in Q3, selling 21,300 shares and leaving it with 426,600 shares (about 0.21% of the company) worth roughly $79.8 million.
• Hershey beat quarterly revenue and EPS estimates, set FY2026 EPS guidance of $8.20–$8.52, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.452 (annualized $5.81, ~2.7% yield).
• Company insiders have been selling (10,000 shares in the past 90 days, including recent SVP and CFO transactions), while analysts’ consensus is a net "Hold" with an average target of $222.21.

Swiss National Bank cut its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 4.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 426,600 shares of the company's stock after selling 21,300 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.21% of Hershey worth $79,796,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Choreo LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the company's stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Bellevue Asset Management LLC increased its position in Hershey by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bellevue Asset Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the company's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 798 shares of the company's stock valued at $149,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 46.3% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC increased its holdings in Hershey by 20.7% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 367 shares of the company's stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,277,008.52. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total transaction of $329,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 50,819 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,162,901.54. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,153,645. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HSY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Mizuho lifted their price target on Hershey from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $222.21.

Hershey Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $218.74 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.34 billion, a PE ratio of 50.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.14. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $150.04 and a 1 year high of $239.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm's 50-day moving average is $208.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The company had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 133.87%.

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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