Advisors Capital Management LLC Buys 78,313 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its Hershey stake by 1,574.1%, buying 78,313 shares to hold 83,288 shares worth about $15.16 million at the end of the quarter.
• Insiders sold a total of 10,000 shares (~$2.19M) last quarter — including Rohit Grover and CFO Steven Voskuil (the latter under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan) — and insiders now own just 0.08% of the stock.
• Analyst views are mixed (Goldman Sachs Buy, Morgan Stanley Overweight despite a lower target), with a consensus Hold rating and average target price of $223.83, while Hershey raised its quarterly dividend to $1.452 (annual $5.81, ~3.0% yield).

Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 1,574.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,288 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 78,313 shares during the period. Advisors Capital Management LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $15,157,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Liberty One Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 32.4% in the third quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 38,076 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,122,000 after purchasing an additional 9,309 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Hershey by 166.8% in the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 39,200 shares of the company's stock worth $7,332,000 after purchasing an additional 24,509 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial raised its stake in Hershey by 38,266.7% during the fourth quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 5,755 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 5,740 shares in the last quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. lifted its position in Hershey by 6.6% during the third quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 113,746 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,276,000 after purchasing an additional 7,064 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its position in Hershey by 6.4% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 42,538 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,957,000 after purchasing an additional 2,573 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at $7,814,787.76. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,198,599.50. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,189,090 in the last quarter. 0.08% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs initiated a Buy on HSY, providing a bullish bench of institutional support that can limit downside and attract buyers. The Hershey Company (HSY) Gets a Buy from Goldman Sachs
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target from $247 to $227 but kept an Overweight rating—still implying material upside (about ~18% from current levels), which supports a constructive medium-term view. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG started coverage with a Neutral rating, praising Hershey's pricing, cost dynamics and international expansion but not yet enough to drive an upgrade. Why Are Wall Street Firms Cautious on The Hershey Company (HSY)
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on a recent ~10% pullback frames HSY as either a dip to buy after a strong multi-year run or a signal of near-term volatility—investors are debating valuation vs. momentum. Is It Too Late To Consider Hershey (HSY) After Recent 10.7% Share Price Pullback?
• Neutral Sentiment: An executive stock-sale disclosure drew attention but didn't produce a clear directional signal—worth monitoring insider activity for follow-through. Did Hershey Shares Move After Exec Stock Sale Disclosure?
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and previews (Zacks/Yahoo) expect a decline in upcoming quarterly earnings and note Hershey lacks clear beat catalysts, raising short-term downside risk around the report. Analysts Estimate Hershey (HSY) to Report a Decline in Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel and other commentators issued cautious/pessimistic views on HSY's near-term outlook, adding selling pressure amid concerns about volumes and margin trends in packaged foods. Stifel Nicolaus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Hershey NYSE: HSY Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Broader consumer-staples commentary flags sector underperformance vs. the market, creating headwinds for brand names like Hershey if risk appetite stays tilted toward growth. 3 Consumer Stocks We Think Twice About

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays dropped their price target on Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. DA Davidson set a $243.00 price objective on Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $223.83.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $191.60 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $150.04 and a 12 month high of $239.48. The company has a market capitalization of $38.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.15, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.18. The firm's 50-day moving average is $212.88 and its 200 day moving average is $196.88.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 8.4 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. This is an increase from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is 133.87%.

Hershey 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.

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