Varenne Capital Partners Takes $22.28 Million Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Varenne Capital Partners acquired 127,096 Hershey shares worth approximately $22.28 million, making Hershey 3.7% of its portfolio and its 12th-largest holding. Institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of the company.
• Hershey reported quarterly EPS of $1.90, exceeding estimates of $1.43, while revenue rose 6.6% year over year to $2.79 billion. The company guided for fiscal 2026 EPS of $8.36–$8.52.
• Hershey declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452, equivalent to an annualized $5.81 and a 3.4% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $204.78, above the reported share price of $173.26.

Varenne Capital Partners acquired a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 127,096 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,283,000. Hershey makes up about 3.7% of Varenne Capital Partners' investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Varenne Capital Partners owned 0.06% of Hershey at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth $2,303,889,000. Capital International Investors lifted 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 acquiring an additional 169,660 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,253,041 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,356,681,000 after purchasing an additional 128,982 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,315,653 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,343,000 after purchasing an additional 124,464 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 104,024 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock opened at $173.26 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.66 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 $192.52. The firm has a market cap of $34.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $161.43 and a 1-year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The company 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%.Hershey's revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and set a $201.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company 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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