Hershey Company (The) $HSY Position Lowered by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 20.2% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 37,963 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,636 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $5,983,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Hershey by 126.4% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 84,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,508,000 after buying an additional 47,017 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 125.9% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 196,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,447,000 after acquiring an additional 109,418 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $62,664,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $274,871,000. Finally, OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at about $3,182,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Hershey News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street expects Hershey to report year-over-year earnings growth next week, and analysts see several factors that could support a quarterly earnings beat. Strong results could improve sentiment toward the stock. Hershey Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey is being highlighted as an attractive dividend alternative to Mondelez, which has rallied more strongly this year. Its comparatively favorable income profile may appeal to value and income-focused investors. Is Hershey the Better Dividend Bargain?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage points to renewed earnings optimism and continued analyst interest in Hershey, with some valuation analysis suggesting meaningful upside if the company delivers on expectations. Is Earnings Optimism Altering the Investment Case for Hershey Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein reiterated a Hold rating, indicating that the firm does not see a sufficiently compelling risk-reward profile at present. Hershey Receives a Hold from Bernstein
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reduced its price target to $204 from $224, signaling more limited expected upside and contributing to investor caution. Goldman Sachs Adjusts Price Target on Hershey
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation coverage remains divided: some analysis argues that earnings optimism could materially improve fair value, while other commentary raises concerns that the shares may already be priced above intrinsic value. That uncertainty is limiting enthusiasm ahead of results. Hershey Could Be 122% Above Fair Value After Earnings Optimism

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Hershey from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $193.00 to $183.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. DA Davidson set a $190.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $178.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $199.44.

Hershey Trading Down 3.4%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $169.63 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $34.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.19, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.66. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $156.16 and a 1 year high of $239.48. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $171.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.89.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.21 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a dividend of $1.4520 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.37%.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a global confectionery and snack food manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894, the company began as a chocolate producer and has grown into one of the largest branded snack businesses in North America.

Hershey’s portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, gum and mints, and salty snacks. Its brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Kit Kat in the United States under license from Nestlé, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot’s Pretzels.