Wallace Capital Management Inc. Invests $1.20 Million in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Wallace Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,835 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,199,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $185.77 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Hershey Company has a one year low of $161.43 and a one year high of $239.48. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $178.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $195.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.33 billion, a PE ratio of 25.38, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 79.37%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho cut their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $201.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Bank of America cut their price objective on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company 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.