Steven Voskuil Sells 1,500 Shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock
by Sarita Garza · The Markets DailyHershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.71, for a total transaction of $325,065.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 59,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,974,210.99. This represents a 2.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
Hershey Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:HSY traded down $2.31 during trading on Thursday, hitting $210.41. 2,273,895 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,997,817. The business’s 50 day moving average is $212.91 and its 200-day moving average is $194.06. The company has a market capitalization of $42.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 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 1-year low of $150.04 and a 1-year high of $239.48.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The company 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 last year, the business posted $2.69 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.
Hershey Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 133.87%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
HSY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $188.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. One 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $222.68.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Hershey
Institutional Trading of Hershey
Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $272,506,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Hershey by 546.6% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,057,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $192,439,000 after buying an additional 893,940 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Hershey by 240.0% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,262,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,183,000 after buying an additional 891,287 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its stake in Hershey by 150.1% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,278,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,731,000 after buying an additional 767,478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Hershey by 121.2% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,104,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,559,000 after buying an additional 605,048 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
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.