Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. Takes $1.11 Million Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 5,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,106,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 2.1%

NYSE HSY opened at $236.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $47.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $150.04 and a fifty-two week high of $236.78. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $202.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $190.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The company had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 133.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Barclays increased their price objective on Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. DA Davidson set a $243.00 price target on Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $188.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $222.21.

Hershey News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey’s recent quarter beat estimates and management set FY2026 guidance of $8.20–$8.52 EPS, confirming solid top-line growth and margin resilience — a primary driver for investor confidence. MarketBeat earnings & guidance summary
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.452 (annualized $5.81), increasing yield and income appeal for dividend-focused investors. Dividend growth reinforces the defensive, cash-return profile of HSY. MarketBeat dividend notice
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and financial outlets continue to view Hershey as a high-quality, wide-moat consumer stock — it was featured on a list of five non-tech wide-moat leaders, supporting demand from long-term, defensive investors. Buy 5 Non-Tech Wide Moat Stocks to Enhance Your Portfolio Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: Food & beverage peers reported mixed results (e.g., Monster, Hormel, Smucker beats/metrics). These sector data points help set category expectations but are not company-specific catalysts for HSY. Monster Q4 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares (avg. $226.07) and another senior insider, Rohit Grover, sold 3,500 shares on Feb. 24. While small relative to total holdings and not unusual following share-price strength, these sales can be perceived negatively by some investors. Insider selling disclosure

Insider Activity

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 50,819 shares in the company, valued at $11,162,901.54. This trade represents a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,153,645. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

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.