NewEdge Wealth LLC Invests $1.50 Million in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

NewEdge Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 8,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,495,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Syon Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 1.1%

HSY stock opened at $186.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 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 company’s 50 day simple moving average is $178.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $195.50.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. The company’s 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 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays cut their price objective on Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $191.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.78.

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.