California State Teachers Retirement System Sells 4,831 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

California State Teachers Retirement System lowered its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 1.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 244,587 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,831 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Hershey were worth $50,847,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Hershey by 6.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,618,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 20.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 697 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at $267,000. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in Hershey by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,975,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 22,247 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,692,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Trading Down 3.7%

Shares of HSY stock opened at $177.16 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $161.43 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The stock 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 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 fifty day moving average of $179.54 and a 200-day moving average of $196.85.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The company 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 EPS. The firm’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. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.19%.

Hershey News Summary

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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HSY. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Zacks Research downgraded Hershey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Hershey from $204.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.