Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Has $6.40 Million Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 34,226 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,741 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $6,402,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 1.1% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,840,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,126,594,000 after purchasing an additional 210,131 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Hershey by 2.5% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,116,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $849,123,000 after acquiring an additional 125,100 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Hershey by 2.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,567,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $755,305,000 after purchasing an additional 126,519 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 4.6% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,276,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $543,712,000 after purchasing an additional 144,640 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,420,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $235,731,000 after purchasing an additional 29,462 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY opened at $225.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.14. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $207.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $192.04. Hershey Company has a one year low of $150.04 and a one year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. Hershey’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 133.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at $7,814,787.76. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $452,140.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,277,008.52. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,153,645. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $249.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One equities research 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, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $222.21.

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.