VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Purchases Shares of 50,700 Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems purchased 50,700 Hershey shares worth approximately $8.9 million in the second quarter, while institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of the company.
• Hershey reported quarterly EPS of $1.90, exceeding the $1.43 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6.6% year over year to $2.79 billion.
• HSY shares opened at $173.25, and analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with a $204.78 target price. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, representing a 3.4% yield.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 50,700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,895,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey Stock Up 0.1%

HSY stock opened at $173.25 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $34.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.66 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. The company's 50 day moving average is $178.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.86.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Evercore set a $225.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $191.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Seven investment 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, Hershey has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $204.78.

About Hershey

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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