Vise Technologies Inc. Buys New Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Vise Technologies purchased 16,721 Hershey shares worth approximately $2.93 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 57.96% of HSY.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with seven Buy ratings and 16 Holds; Hershey has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $204.78.
• 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 also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, representing an annualized yield of about 3.1%.

Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 16,721 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,934,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $9,633,000. Prudential PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 237.3% during the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 7,988 shares of the company's stock worth $1,454,000 after buying an additional 5,620 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,744,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Hershey by 126.4% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 84,215 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,508,000 after buying an additional 47,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OP Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at about $3,182,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. Barclays reduced their price objective on Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 target price on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group boosted their price target on Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 price objective on Hershey in a report on Friday, May 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $204.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $186.27 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $178.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $195.50. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $161.43 and a 12-month high of $239.48. The company has a market capitalization of $37.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 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 (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.63 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is currently 79.23%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source