Deutsche Bank AG Takes Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 666,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $116,977,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $272,506,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Hershey by 546.6% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,057,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $192,439,000 after purchasing an additional 893,940 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Hershey by 315.4% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,083,675 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,285,000 after purchasing an additional 822,772 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Hershey by 150.1% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,278,881 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,731,000 after purchasing an additional 767,478 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 4,478.5% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 586,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,666,000 after purchasing an additional 573,339 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $189.04 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $161.43 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $178.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $195.61. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given 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 is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 79.37%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 target price on Hershey in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Evercore set a $225.00 price target on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.61.

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.