HUB Investment Partners LLC Invests $1.12 Million in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

HUB Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 5,993 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,121,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,840,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,126,594,000 after buying an additional 210,131 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 2.5% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,116,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $849,123,000 after acquiring an additional 125,100 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,567,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $755,305,000 after acquiring an additional 126,519 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 4.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,276,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $543,712,000 after acquiring an additional 144,640 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.1% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,420,491 shares of the company’s stock worth $235,731,000 after acquiring an additional 29,462 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $225.13 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.63 billion, a PE ratio of 51.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.14. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $207.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $192.04. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $150.04 and a 52 week high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The company 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.87%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HSY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $188.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $238.00 target price on Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. DA Davidson set a $243.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $222.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total transaction of $329,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 50,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,162,901.54. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,153,645 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.