Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 5,720 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 22.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,673 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,720 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,680,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% during the 3rd 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. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $228.95 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $191.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $186.57. 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) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 133.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, insider Stacy Taffet bought 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. This represents a 2.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,876,115.60. This represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,119,450. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $238.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.21.

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.