Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Cuts Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 17.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 14,534 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,096 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $2,718,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1,537.5% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Hershey by 46.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $238.00 target price on Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.74.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY opened at $219.93 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $197.42 and its 200 day moving average is $188.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a market cap of $44.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.68, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $150.04 and a 12-month high of $234.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.87%.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total value of $329,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 50,819 shares in the company, valued at $11,162,901.54. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $910,260. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.