Empowered Funds LLC Increases Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Empowered Funds increased its Hershey stake by 29.8% in the first quarter, holding 33,268 shares valued at approximately $6.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of the company.
• Hershey reported quarterly earnings of $1.90 per share, beating estimates of $1.43, while revenue rose 6.6% year over year to $2.79 billion. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.36–$8.52.
• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $203.61, while Hershey shares recently opened at $184.29. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, implying a 3.2% yield.

Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 29.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,268 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,634 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $6,916,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Hershey by 6.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,310 shares of the company's stock worth $2,618,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 20.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 697 shares of the company's stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in Hershey during the second quarter valued at $267,000. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,927 shares of the company's stock worth $2,975,000 after buying an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 22,247 shares of the company's stock worth $3,692,000 after buying an additional 1,149 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Hershey from $191.00 to $193.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $201.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $203.61.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY stock opened at $184.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The company has a market capitalization of $37.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.11. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $177.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $195.71. Hershey Company has a one year low of $161.43 and a one year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.21 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio is presently 79.23%.

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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