Skba Capital Management LLC Has $14.09 Million Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Skba Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 19.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,330 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,150 shares during the quarter. Hershey makes up 1.9% of Skba Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Skba Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $14,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 1,537.5% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 46.3% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the second quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Hershey in the third quarter valued at $41,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $249.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Argus upgraded Hershey to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $238.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $222.21.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $234.48 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $47.53 billion, a PE ratio of 54.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $150.04 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $204.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $191.10.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 133.87%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at $7,814,787.76. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,277,008.52. The trade was a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,153,645. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.