California State Teachers Retirement System Raises Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System dramatically increased its Hershey stake by adding 43 million shares in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 43.25 million shares, or approximately 21.52% of the company.
• Hershey reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with $1.90 in earnings per share and $2.79 billion in revenue; revenue rose 6.6% year over year. The company also maintained FY 2026 EPS guidance of $8.36–$8.52.
• Hershey announced a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, equal to an annualized $5.81 dividend and a 3.4% yield. Analysts hold a generally neutral view, with an average “Hold” rating and a $204.78 price target.

California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 17,582.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,248,250 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 43,003,663 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned about 21.52% of Hershey worth $7,587,905,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of HSY stock opened at $173.25 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.67, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.11. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $178.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $191.86. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $161.43 and a 1 year high of $239.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.66.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. The firm 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.21 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on HSY shares. Evercore set a $225.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $208.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $204.78.

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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