Rhumbline Advisers Sells 3,048 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Rhumbline Advisers reduced its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 330,884 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,048 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Hershey were worth $61,892,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 1,537.5% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Hershey in the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $188.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $220.30.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Stacy Taffet purchased 200 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total value of $298,005.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,394,215.73. This represents a 2.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $226.28 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $45.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $193.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $187.15. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $150.04 and a 1 year high of $234.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The company’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $1.452 dividend. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 126.27%.

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.