Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Acquired by Quantinno Capital Management LP

Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 16.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 127,291 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,598 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP owned about 0.06% of Hershey worth $26,463,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Owlhouse Capital LP raised its stake in Hershey by 285.9% during the first quarter. Owlhouse Capital LP now owns 32,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,819,000 after buying an additional 24,300 shares in the last quarter. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 1st quarter worth approximately $535,000. Dean Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,867,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp grew its position in shares of Hershey by 30.8% in the 1st quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 6,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,455,000 after acquiring an additional 1,649 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $309,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $175.46 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $35.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $161.43 and a 12-month high of $239.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $179.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $196.70.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 79.23%.

Key Stories Impacting Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey reported second-quarter revenue of $2.79 billion, up 6.6% year over year and ahead of the $2.63 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $1.90 exceeded expectations of $1.43 and rose sharply from $1.21 a year earlier, helped by pricing, margin recovery and supply-chain improvements. Hershey Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management tightened its 2026 outlook and raised the lower end of its expectations, forecasting revenue of approximately $12.2 billion to $12.3 billion and EPS of $8.36 to $8.52. Stronger salty-snack sales, including LesserEvil, and steady demand for Reese’s and Dot’s Pretzels supported the improved outlook. Hershey Reports Higher Q2 Sales and Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: The board maintained Hershey’s quarterly dividend at $1.452 per common share, supporting an annualized yield of roughly 3.3% at the recent share price. Hershey Declares Quarterly Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target from $191 to $193 but retained a Neutral rating, implying limited conviction despite potential upside from current levels. Brokerages overall continue to carry a consensus “Hold” recommendation.
• Negative Sentiment: Growth was driven largely by a reported 12% increase in prices, while volumes fell approximately 8%. Investors are concerned that continued pricing could weaken consumer demand and limit future growth, particularly in North American confectionery. Hershey Stock Drops as Earnings Beat Overshadows Volume Slide
• Negative Sentiment: Cocoa-cost volatility, supply-chain challenges in salty snacks and a cautious consumer environment remain risks. The company’s valuation also remains elevated relative to its recent earnings profile, increasing sensitivity to signs of weakening demand.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Hershey from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.06.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.08% 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.