Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Purchased by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems grew its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 35.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,368 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,222 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Hershey were worth $2,571,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,618,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 20.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 697 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $267,000. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in Hershey by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,975,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 5.4% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 22,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,692,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on HSY. TD Cowen upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Hershey from $204.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 13th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $208.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $208.28.

More Hershey News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey reported second-quarter sales of $2.79 billion, up 6.6% year over year and above the $2.63 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $1.90 exceeded expectations of approximately $1.43-$1.45 and rose sharply from $1.21 a year earlier. Hershey reports higher Q2 sales, earnings; tightens 2026 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Higher prices, margin recovery and strength in Reese’s, Dot’s Pretzels and the LesserEvil acquisition helped offset softer consumption. North America Salty Snacks sales increased 22.9%, while North America Confectionery sales rose 4.2%. Hershey beats quarterly sales estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised the lower end of its full-year outlook and narrowed 2026 guidance to approximately $12.2-$12.3 billion in revenue and $8.36-$8.52 in EPS, signaling confidence in the second-half recovery. Cocoa-cost deflation could also improve profitability in 2027. Hershey lifts bottom end of full-year growth outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Hershey maintained its quarterly common-stock dividend at $1.452 per share, payable September 15 to shareholders of record August 14. The dividend provides an annualized yield of roughly 3.3%, but the lack of an increase offers no new catalyst. Hershey Keeps Its Dividend Steady
• Negative Sentiment: Sales growth was driven primarily by a roughly 12% pricing increase, while volumes fell about 8%. Investors may view this mix as a warning that higher prices are weakening demand and may become harder to sustain. Hershey Q2 2026 earnings beat, raises annual outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Supply-chain challenges in salty snacks and ongoing exposure to volatile cocoa prices remain risks, while the company’s outlook excludes potential future tariff rebates. A recent CFO share sale was conducted under a prearranged 10b5-1 plan, making it a limited but potentially negative sentiment factor.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $177.16 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $35.94 billion, a PE ratio of 32.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.11. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $179.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $196.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $161.43 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The business had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.21 earnings per share. The company’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. Sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 108.19%.

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.