Quantbot Technologies LP Acquires New Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 6,141 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,077,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Syon Capital LLC increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th 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 lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its position 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 worth $1,462,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Hershey from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.78.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $187.18 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $37.61 billion, a PE ratio of 25.57, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $161.43 and a 12-month high of $239.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $178.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $195.27.

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

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their position. 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.

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.