Kentucky Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co Buys New Stake in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Kentucky Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co bought a new stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 12,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,193,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter worth about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on HSY. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $201.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Mizuho lowered their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 price objective on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.61.

Hershey Trading Up 3.0%

Hershey stock opened at $189.04 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $37.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $161.43 and a 1 year high of $239.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $178.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $195.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

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

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.