Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Makes New $22.68 Million Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 121,250 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,680,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Hershey at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,605,628 shares of the company’s stock worth $300,333,000 after purchasing an additional 101,305 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Inc. CA increased its stake in Hershey by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 75,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,059,000 after purchasing an additional 11,691 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in Hershey by 18.3% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 223,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,844,000 after buying an additional 34,556 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,024,635 shares of the company’s stock worth $191,658,000 after acquiring an additional 24,589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fieldview Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $221,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $222.86 on Tuesday. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $150.04 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The company has a fifty day moving average of $207.91 and a 200-day moving average of $192.42. The company has a market capitalization of $45.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 value of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 34,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 value of $329,490.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 50,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,162,901.54. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,153,645 in the last 90 days. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. Morgan Stanley set a $238.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Argus raised shares of Hershey to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Hershey from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $222.21.

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.