Hershey Company (The) $HSY Stock: Park Avenue Securities LLC Reduces Stake

Key Points

• Park Avenue Securities reduced its Hershey stake by 22% in the third quarter, selling 6,466 shares and retaining 22,923 shares valued at approximately $3.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 57.96% of HSY.
• Hershey’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with adjusted earnings of $2.64 per share and revenue of $3.28 billion, up 3% year over year. However, management lowered its 2026 organic sales-growth outlook amid pricing pressure, weaker demand and volume losses.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with eight Buy, 16 Hold and one Sell rating, resulting in a consensus Hold rating and average price target of $201.43. Hershey also maintained its quarterly dividend at $1.452 per share, representing an annualized yield of about 3.6%.

Park Avenue Securities LLC cut its stake in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 22.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,923 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,466 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in Hershey were worth $3,613,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Hershey by 21.7% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,948 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,410,000 after purchasing an additional 1,596 shares in the last quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 33.2% in the 3rd quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 4,112 shares of the company's stock worth $648,000 after buying an additional 1,024 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp grew its position in shares of Hershey by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 1,697 shares of the company's stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 12.1% during the 3rd quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 2,658 shares of the company's stock worth $419,000 after buying an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 18,725 shares of the company's stock worth $2,951,000 after buying an additional 2,041 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on HSY shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on Hershey from $166.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Hershey from $193.00 to $183.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $206.00 target price (down from $212.00) on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Evercore raised their target price on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $201.43.

Hershey News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings exceeded expectations. Hershey reported adjusted earnings of $2.64 per share, up sharply from $1.30 a year earlier and ahead of the roughly $2.11-$2.12 consensus. Revenue rose 3% year over year to $3.28 billion, also topping estimates. Pricing, cost relief and tariff refunds helped drive the margin improvement. HSY Q3 Earnings Top Estimates on Cost Relief and Pricing Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 earnings outlook following the strong quarter, supporting the near-term profit story. Analysts also remain constructive in some cases: Evercore raised its price target to $225 while maintaining an outperform rating. Evercore rating
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey is targeting 2%-4% sales growth in 2027 and plans to expand its innovation pipeline by approximately 50%, potentially supporting future product launches and growth. Hershey targets 2027 sales growth
• Neutral Sentiment: The quarterly dividend was maintained at $1.452 per common share, or $5.81 annualized, with a yield of approximately 3.6%. The payment is scheduled for December 15 for shareholders of record on November 16. Hershey declares quarterly dividends
• Negative Sentiment: Hershey reduced its 2026 organic sales-growth forecast. Management warned that higher prices and consumer financial pressure are hurting demand, particularly for Halloween candy. Hershey trims FY26 organic sales growth
• Negative Sentiment: Volume and market-share losses remain concerns. Pricing drove much of the revenue and profit growth, but weaker volumes raise questions about the sustainability of earnings gains and consumer acceptance of higher prices. Hershey continues to lose volume and market share

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock opened at $160.56 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $32.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.56, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.10. Hershey Company has a one year low of $156.16 and a one year high of $239.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 1.18. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $170.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $189.16.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.53. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%. The firm had revenue of $3.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a $1.4520 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 79.37%.

Hershey Profile

The Hershey Company NYSE: HSY is a global confectionery and snack food manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894, the company began as a chocolate producer and has grown into one of the largest branded snack businesses in North America.

Hershey's portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, gum and mints, and salty snacks. Its brands include Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Kit Kat in the United States under license from Nestlé, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot's Pretzels.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HSY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report).

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.