Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. Purchases New Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. purchased a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 2,896 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $508,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $9,633,000. Prudential PLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 237.3% during the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 7,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,454,000 after purchasing an additional 5,620 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth about $2,744,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in Hershey by 126.4% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 84,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,508,000 after purchasing an additional 47,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OP Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in Hershey during the 1st quarter valued at about $3,182,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Bank of America dropped their price target on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.78.

Hershey Stock Down 1.1%

HSY stock opened at $186.27 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $161.43 and a 52 week high of $239.48. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average of $178.40 and a 200 day moving average of $195.50.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $1.452 dividend. 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 presently 79.37%.

Hershey 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.