Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd Makes New $2.23 Million Investment in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Osmosis Investment Management UK Ltd purchased a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 12,708 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,230,000.

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

Hershey Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $189.92 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $178.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $195.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $38.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.95, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $161.43 and a 1-year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 79.23%.

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 stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price target on Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.78.

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.