Hershey Company (The) $HSY Position Boosted by Amundi

Key Points

• Amundi increased its Hershey stake by 37.6% in the first quarter to 853,537 shares worth approximately $177.4 million. Other institutional investors also boosted their positions, and institutions now own 57.96% of HSY.
• Hershey delivered a strong second quarter, with sales rising 6.6% year over year to $2.79 billion and adjusted EPS reaching $1.90, well above analyst expectations. Management narrowed its 2026 outlook to $12.2–$12.3 billion in revenue and $8.36–$8.52 in EPS.
• Despite the earnings beat, volumes declined about 8% as pricing rose roughly 12%, creating demand concerns. Cocoa-price volatility, supply-chain challenges and a recently maintained $1.452 quarterly dividend remain important considerations for investors.

Amundi boosted its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 37.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 853,537 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 233,045 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned 0.42% of Hershey worth $177,442,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $272,506,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Hershey by 546.6% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,057,476 shares of the company's stock worth $192,439,000 after purchasing an additional 893,940 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Hershey by 315.4% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,083,675 shares of the company's stock worth $225,285,000 after purchasing an additional 822,772 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Hershey by 150.1% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,278,881 shares of the company's stock worth $232,731,000 after purchasing an additional 767,478 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Hershey by 4,478.5% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 586,141 shares of the company's stock valued at $106,666,000 after purchasing an additional 573,339 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Key Hershey News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey reported second-quarter sales of $2.79 billion, up 6.6% year over year and above the $2.63 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $1.90 exceeded expectations of approximately $1.43-$1.45 and rose sharply from $1.21 a year earlier. Hershey reports higher Q2 sales, earnings; tightens 2026 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Higher prices, margin recovery and strength in Reese’s, Dot’s Pretzels and the LesserEvil acquisition helped offset softer consumption. North America Salty Snacks sales increased 22.9%, while North America Confectionery sales rose 4.2%. Hershey beats quarterly sales estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised the lower end of its full-year outlook and narrowed 2026 guidance to approximately $12.2-$12.3 billion in revenue and $8.36-$8.52 in EPS, signaling confidence in the second-half recovery. Cocoa-cost deflation could also improve profitability in 2027. Hershey lifts bottom end of full-year growth outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Hershey maintained its quarterly common-stock dividend at $1.452 per share, payable September 15 to shareholders of record August 14. The dividend provides an annualized yield of roughly 3.3%, but the lack of an increase offers no new catalyst. Hershey Keeps Its Dividend Steady
• Negative Sentiment: Sales growth was driven primarily by a roughly 12% pricing increase, while volumes fell about 8%. Investors may view this mix as a warning that higher prices are weakening demand and may become harder to sustain. Hershey Q2 2026 earnings beat, raises annual outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Supply-chain challenges in salty snacks and ongoing exposure to volatile cocoa prices remain risks, while the company’s outlook excludes potential future tariff rebates. A recent CFO share sale was conducted under a prearranged 10b5-1 plan, making it a limited but potentially negative sentiment factor.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $177.16 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $179.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $196.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.94 billion, a PE ratio of 32.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.63 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 108.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Evercore set a $225.00 price objective on Hershey in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings lowered Hershey from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $210.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. DA Davidson raised shares of Hershey to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $208.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. 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, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $208.28.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.