Hershey Company (The) $HSY Position Trimmed by California State Teachers Retirement System

California State Teachers Retirement System decreased its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 1.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 244,587 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,831 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.12% of Hershey worth $50,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HSY. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 123.0% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $177.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.24. The firm has a market cap of $35.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.11. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $179.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $196.85. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $161.43 and a 52 week high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Hershey

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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Bank of America cut their price objective on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 25th. TD Cowen raised Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays reduced their price target on Hershey from $220.00 to $208.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Hershey from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $208.28.

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.