Key Points
- CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares on Feb. 18 at an average price of $219.66 for a total of $329,490, leaving him with 50,819 shares (a 2.87% reduction in his position).
- Hershey raised its quarterly dividend to $1.452 ($5.81 annualized) with an ex-dividend date of Feb. 17, implying a 2.6% yield but a high payout ratio of 133.87%.
- Hershey beat expectations for the quarter with EPS of $1.71 vs. $1.40 estimate and revenue of $3.09B (up 7% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance of $8.20–$8.52 in adjusted EPS.
Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total value of $329,490.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 50,819 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,162,901.54. This trade represents a 2.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.
Hershey Stock Performance
Shares of HSY stock traded up $0.98 during trading on Friday, reaching $220.89. The company had a trading volume of 309,265 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,167,548. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $197.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $188.34. Hershey Company has a one year low of $150.04 and a one year high of $234.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $44.79 billion, a PE ratio of 50.91, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.18.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.
Hershey Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Hershey's payout ratio is 133.87%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HSY. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $188.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research raised Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $267.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $218.74.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on HSY
Institutional Trading of Hershey
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 123.0% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.
About Hershey
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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