Hershey Company (The) (HSY) To Go Ex-Dividend on August 14th

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, July 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of 1.452 per share on Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th.

Hershey has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 15 consecutive years. Hershey has a payout ratio of 90.5% meaning its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company’s earnings decline. Equities research analysts expect Hershey to earn $9.86 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $5.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 58.8%.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $182.09 on Wednesday. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $161.43 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The stock has a market cap of $36.59 billion, a PE ratio of 24.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $177.57 and a 200-day moving average of $195.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 8.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new position in Hershey in the second quarter valued at $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.