Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Sold by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Pacer Advisors Inc. cut its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 98.7% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,436 shares of the company’s stock after selling 578,705 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $1,546,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Syon Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, BSW Wealth Partners grew its position in Hershey by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $182.20 on Friday. 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’s 50 day moving average price is $177.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $196.10. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $161.43 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.89, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during 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 was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.48 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid 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 3.2%. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 79.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Evercore set a $225.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Hershey from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.61.

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.