Janus Henderson Group PLC Buys 7,993 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 72.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,986 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,993 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,946,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,633,000. Prudential PLC lifted its position in Hershey by 237.3% during the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 7,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after buying an additional 5,620 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 38,266.7% during the 4th quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 5,755 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,047,000 after buying an additional 5,740 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth about $2,744,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 126.4% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 84,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,508,000 after acquiring an additional 47,017 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were 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 approximately $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $182.20 on Friday. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $161.43 and a twelve month high of $239.48. The company has a market capitalization of $36.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.11. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $177.67 and a 200 day moving average of $196.10. 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) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The business had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Evercore set a $225.00 price target on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.61.

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.