Steven Voskuil Sells 1,500 Shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 50,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,162,901.54. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $2.11 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $219.93. 1,617,819 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,226,557. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $196.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $188.12. The company has a market cap of $44.60 billion, a PE ratio of 50.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.18. 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 Company has a 1-year low of $150.04 and a 1-year high of $234.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 period in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.74.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in Hershey by 1,537.5% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 123.0% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.