Greenwood Capital Associates LLC Purchases 4,255 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC boosted its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 21.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 24,073 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,255 shares during the period. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $4,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $179.34 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $161.43 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The firm has a market cap of $36.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.11. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $179.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $194.54. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 79.37%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey 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 transaction of $255,000.00. Following 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSY has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America cut their price target on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $201.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $191.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.78.

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.