Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Buys New Stake in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 24,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,431,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Syon Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co boosted its position in 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 in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted 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 worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.3% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $179.34 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $179.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $194.29. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $161.43 and a 1 year high of $239.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.66.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 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 net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 79.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 25th. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Evercore set a $225.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.