Insider Selling: Hershey (NYSE:HSY) SVP Sells 2,000 Shares of Stock

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,277,008.52. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY traded up $1.71 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $231.35. The stock had a trading volume of 1,422,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,179,397. 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 12 month low of $150.04 and a 12 month high of $234.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.91 billion, a PE ratio of 53.31, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.18. The company’s 50-day moving average is $200.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $189.43.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Research analysts expect 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 issued a $1.452 dividend. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 133.64%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Hershey by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,618,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 21.0% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 499,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $82,851,000 after purchasing an additional 86,692 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 149.9% during the 2nd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 14,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,438,000 after purchasing an additional 8,812 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Hershey by 4.0% during the second quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 22,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,728,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the period. Finally, Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its holdings in Hershey by 25.0% in the second quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 71,919 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,935,000 after purchasing an additional 14,400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Mizuho lifted their target price on Hershey from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $222.21.

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.