Wealthfront Advisers LLC Has $11.64 Million Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 12.0% in Q4 to 63,936 shares, valued at approximately $11.64 million at quarter-end.
• Insider selling has occurred recently — company insiders sold 10,000 shares worth about $2.19 million over the last three months, including CFO Steven Voskuil (1,500 shares) and Rohit Grover (3,500), leaving insiders with just 0.08% ownership.
• Analysts' consensus is a Hold rating with a $223.83 average price target; Hershey beat Q4 estimates (EPS $1.71 vs. $1.40), set FY2026 guidance of $8.20–$8.52 EPS, and raised the annualized dividend to $5.81 (3.1% yield).

Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 12.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 63,936 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,865 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $11,635,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 1,537.5% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth $35,000. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new position in Hershey during the third quarter worth $41,000. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 107.4% in the third quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 224 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 57,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,198,599.50. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,814,787.76. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,189,090 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on HSY shares. Zacks Research cut Hershey from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $236.00 to $215.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $267.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $223.83.

Hershey Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:HSY opened at $188.11 on Wednesday. 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. The firm's 50 day moving average is $211.55 and its 200 day moving average is $196.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.13 billion, a PE ratio of 43.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.18.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 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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