Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $1.45

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, July 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of 1.452 per share on Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th.

Hershey has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 15 years. Hershey has a payout ratio of 90.5% meaning its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company’s earnings decline. Analysts expect Hershey to earn $9.78 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 59.3%.

Hershey Trading Down 3.7%

NYSE:HSY traded down $6.75 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $177.16. The company had a trading volume of 1,978,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,032,140. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.24. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $161.43 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The firm has a market cap of $35.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11. The business’s fifty day moving average is $179.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $196.93.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Hershey will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, 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 is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Syon Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Hershey by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abacus Planning Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.