Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Sold by Oak Thistle LLC

Key Points

• Oak Thistle LLC cut its stake in Hershey by 73.8%, selling 11,100 shares and leaving 3,948 shares valued at about $718,000 according to its latest 13F filing.
• Hershey beat Q4 estimates (EPS $1.71 vs. $1.40; revenue $3.09B vs. $2.97B) and set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $8.20–$8.52, but analyst sentiment is mixed with a consensus "Hold" and a $222.21 price target while the stock traded down roughly 4% near $202.48.

Oak Thistle LLC cut its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 73.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,948 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,100 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $718,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp raised its position in Hershey by 1.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,253,041 shares of the company's stock worth $1,356,681,000 after acquiring an additional 128,982 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1.9% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,614,258 shares of the company's stock valued at $301,947,000 after purchasing an additional 29,731 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,605,628 shares of the company's stock worth $300,333,000 after purchasing an additional 101,305 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,473,427 shares of the company's stock worth $275,605,000 after purchasing an additional 52,936 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Hershey by 240.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,262,671 shares of the company's stock worth $236,183,000 after purchasing an additional 891,287 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on HSY shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Hershey from $238.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Stephens upped their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $236.00 to $215.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $222.21.

Hershey Trading Down 4.0%

Shares of HSY opened at $202.48 on Friday. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $150.04 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The company has a market capitalization of $41.04 billion, a PE ratio of 46.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $218.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $196.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $1.452 dividend. This is a positive change from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 133.87%.

Hershey News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and revisions momentum — Hershey has recently reported an earnings beat and revenue growth (EPS and revenue topped estimates; revenue up ~7% year‑over‑year), which underpins the company’s fundamentals and helped lift analyst EPS revisions ahead of the next report. Large-cap consumer staples stocks with A grade EPS revisions ahead of earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance updated — Hershey set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $8.20–$8.52 and revenue guidance roughly $12.2–$12.3B. The range overlaps consensus, so it’s not a clear beat or miss but removes upside surprise potential and adds near‑term guidance uncertainty for investors.
• Neutral Sentiment: Shares have rallied in the past year, keeping the stock on investors’ radar; some coverage is assessing whether current valuation already prices in much of the growth story. Is It Too Late To Consider Hershey (HSY) After Its Strong 1 Year Share Price Rally?
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment turned more cautious — Zacks downgraded Hershey from “strong‑buy” to “hold,” removing a near‑term positive catalyst and likely contributing to selling pressure. Zacks.com
• Negative Sentiment: Changing consumer tastes — coverage cites a broader shift toward salty snacks and away from chocolate, naming competitors (e.g., Utz Brands) as potential beneficiaries; that thematic shift raises medium‑term market share and growth concerns for Hershey. Americans Are Eating Less Chocolate and More Salty Snacks. This Stock Could Benefit.
• Negative Sentiment: Headline-driven selling — recent market writeups explaining why HSY fell more than the broader market highlight the combination of guidance nuance, the downgrade and the sector rotation as proximate causes for today’s pullback. Here's Why Hershey (HSY) Fell More Than Broader Market Here's Why Hershey (HSY) Fell More Than Broader Market (Zacks)

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at $7,814,787.76. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.71, for a total transaction of $325,065.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,974,210.99. This represents a 2.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,195,945 in the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hershey Company 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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