Key Points
- Hershey SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares on February 24 at an average price of $226.07 for proceeds of $452,140, leaving him with 41,036 shares (about $9.28M), a 4.65% reduction in his ownership; the sale was filed with the SEC.
- Q4 results beat expectations: Hershey reported $1.71 EPS vs. $1.40 est. and $3.09B revenue (up 7% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance of $8.200–$8.520 EPS while analysts forecast roughly $6.12 EPS for the current year.
- Dividend raised and mixed market view: Hershey increased its quarterly dividend to $1.452 ($5.81 annual, 2.5% yield) with an ex-dividend date of Feb 17, though the payout ratio is high at ~133.9%; analysts’ consensus is a “Hold” with an average price target of $222.21.
Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,277,008.52. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.
Hershey Trading Up 0.7%
Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $231.35 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $201.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $189.72. The stock has a market cap of $46.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $150.04 and a 52-week high of $234.87. 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 (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.
Hershey Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th 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 2.5%. This is a positive change from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is 133.87%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey
Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Liberty One Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 32.4% during the third quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 38,076 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,122,000 after purchasing an additional 9,309 shares during the last quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 113,746 shares of the company's stock worth $21,276,000 after acquiring an additional 7,064 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its position in Hershey by 166.8% in the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 39,200 shares of the company's stock worth $7,332,000 after acquiring an additional 24,509 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its position in Hershey by 6.4% in the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 42,538 shares of the company's stock worth $7,957,000 after acquiring an additional 2,573 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Hershey by 9.4% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 60,978 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,406,000 after acquiring an additional 5,239 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Argus upgraded shares of Hershey to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on Hershey from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $222.21.
View Our Latest Research Report on Hershey
Hershey Company Profile
(
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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