Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Buys 5,239 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,978 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,239 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $11,406,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its holdings in Hershey by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 7,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,175,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the period. Callan Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 65.5% in the 2nd quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 3,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $649,000 after acquiring an additional 1,549 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 33.6% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 34.9% in the second quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 2,240 shares of the company’s stock worth $372,000 after buying an additional 580 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hershey News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market rotation back into defensive, cash‑generative names is supporting demand for consumer staples like Hershey; Barron’s highlights Hershey among recent “new darlings” as AI faded from favor. How Hershey, United Airlines, and Others Unseated AI to Become the New Stock Market Darlings
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added HSY to its top income picks (Zacks Rank #1), which can attract yield‑seeking investors given Hershey’s larger dividend this year. Best Income Stocks to Buy for February 9th
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks research also flags Hershey as benefiting from the market’s shift toward earnings stability and cash flow, reinforcing the defensive case. Take the Zacks Approach to Beat the Markets: Hershey’s, Fastenal, Kennametal in Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey is paying a larger dividend than a year ago, supporting the income story for long‑term holders. Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year
• Positive Sentiment: At least one outlet reported a higher price target ($220), which can provide trading support. Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Raised to $220.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Press coverage and analyst notes continue to review Hershey’s consumer‑goods positioning; these commentaries provide context but no clear consensus signal. Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Goods Companies: Coursera (COUR) and The Hershey Company (HSY)
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintaining a Hold rating is a neutral-to-cautious signal that can limit upside momentum until analysts update views. Wells Fargo Keeps Their Hold Rating on The Hershey Company (HSY)
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analysis argues the post‑earnings jump may not be sustainable given stretched valuation, signaling potential for profit‑taking. Hershey: The Reasons Why The Post‑Earnings Jump Is Not Sustainable
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage of analyst skepticism notes that despite year‑to‑date outperformance, many analysts remain cautious—this can cap gains if upgrades don’t follow. Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting Hershey Stock Will Climb or Sink?

Insider Activity at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total value of $298,005.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,394,215.73. This represents a 2.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on HSY. Zacks Research raised shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $267.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. Finally, DA Davidson set a $243.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.21.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $230.43 on Tuesday. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $150.04 and a 1-year high of $234.87. The company has a market cap of $46.73 billion, a PE ratio of 53.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.18. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $190.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $186.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 126.27%.

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.