Boston Trust Walden Corp Sells 42,503 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Boston Trust Walden Corp cut its stake in Hershey by 57.6%, selling 42,503 shares in Q4 and finishing the quarter with 31,225 shares worth about $5.68 million.
• Hershey topped quarterly expectations with $1.71 EPS (vs. $1.40 consensus) and $3.09 billion in revenue (+7% YoY), and set FY 2026 guidance of 8.20–8.52 EPS (analysts expect ~8.38).
• Insiders have sold roughly 10,000 shares (~$2.19 million) in the last 90 days—including a CFO sale under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan—and analysts are mixed, with a consensus Hold rating and a $223.83 price target.

Boston Trust Walden Corp cut its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 57.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,225 shares of the company's stock after selling 42,503 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp's holdings in Hershey were worth $5,682,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 240.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,262,671 shares of the company's stock worth $236,183,000 after acquiring an additional 891,287 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 121.2% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,104,299 shares of the company's stock valued at $206,559,000 after purchasing an additional 605,048 shares during the period. Candlestick Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at $64,469,000. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at $44,464,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Hershey by 833.3% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 185,314 shares of the company's stock worth $33,940,000 after purchasing an additional 165,458 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 57,695 shares in the company, valued at $11,198,599.50. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,189,090 in the last 90 days. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $267.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $223.83.

Key Headlines Impacting Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reaffirmed a "buy" on HSY, providing support from a major bank and signaling conviction in Hershey's medium-term outlook. The Hershey Company (HSY) Gets a Buy from Goldman Sachs
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey is reshaping its sustainability strategy; management says progress has been made but more work remains — a long-term positive for brand and ESG-focused investors if execution continues. Why Hershey is making big changes to its sustainability strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan; planned insider sales reduce the alarm factor but remain a reminder to watch insider activity. Insider Selling: Hershey NYSE: HSY CFO Sells 1,500 Shares of Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target from $247 to $227 but kept an "overweight" rating, which supports the stock technically while trimming upside expectations. Morgan Stanley price target note
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel issued a "hold" on HSY (and a separate piece flagged a pessimistic forecast), reflecting mixed broker sentiment and consensus caution among analysts. Stifel Hold on Hershey
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and previews (Zacks / Yahoo) expect a decline in upcoming quarterly earnings and note Hershey lacks the drivers that historically produce surprise beats — this raises near-term downside risk if results miss. Analysts Estimate Hershey (HSY) to Report a Decline in Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan and other outlets have lowered expectations or issued cautious notes, contributing to a cluster of analyst downgrades/price-target trims that can pressure sentiment ahead of the earnings report. JPMorgan lowers expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Broader commentary on consumer staples notes the sector has lagged growth stocks; if investors rotate back into growth, staples like Hershey could underperform near-term. 3 Consumer Stocks We Think Twice About

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock opened at $192.15 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $213.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $196.88. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $150.04 and a 52-week high of $239.48. 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 - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. This is a positive change 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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