Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 32,042 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• VanECK reduced its Hershey stake by 3.0%, selling 32,042 shares and ending the quarter with 1,031,039 shares worth about $192.9 million (roughly 0.51% of the company).
• Several large institutions materially increased or initiated positions—Norges Bank opened a new ~$234M stake and First Trust added 891,287 shares (up 240%)—with institutional investors now owning about 57.96% of HSY.
• Hershey beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.71 vs. $1.40), set FY2026 EPS guidance of 8.20–8.52, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.452 (2.7% yield), while analysts maintain a consensus "Hold" rating with an average price target of $222.21.

Van ECK Associates Corp reduced its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,031,039 shares of the company's stock after selling 32,042 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 0.51% of Hershey worth $192,856,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $234,386,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 240.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,262,671 shares of the company's stock valued at $236,183,000 after acquiring an additional 891,287 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $125,868,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 121.2% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,104,299 shares of the company's stock worth $206,559,000 after buying an additional 605,048 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 44.7% during the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,232,595 shares of the company's stock valued at $204,549,000 after purchasing an additional 380,512 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho increased their price objective on Hershey from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $236.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Bank of America increased their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $222.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 34,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,814,787.76. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total value of $329,490.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 50,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,162,901.54. This trade represents a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,153,645 in the last ninety days. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hershey Stock Down 1.8%

NYSE HSY opened at $218.74 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $44.34 billion, a PE ratio of 50.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.14. The stock's 50 day moving average is $208.64 and its 200 day moving average is $192.68. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $150.04 and a 12 month high of $239.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. 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. Research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

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

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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