Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Increases Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in Hershey by 16.4%, buying 21,995 shares to hold 156,303 shares worth about $28.4 million (roughly 0.08% of the company) per its latest 13F filing.
• Hershey recently beat the quarter (reported $1.71 EPS vs $1.40 consensus and $3.09B revenue), set FY2026 guidance of $8.20–$8.52, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.452 (3.1% yield); plunging cocoa prices (reported ~74% drop) could be a margin tailwind, but analysts warn the P&L benefit may lag and execution risks remain.

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 16.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 156,303 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 21,995 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned approximately 0.08% of Hershey worth $28,444,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 107.4% in the 3rd quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 224 shares of the company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Hershey News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC and other outlets expect Hershey to report a strong Q1 driven by "solid" consumption trends, which could support an upside beat on revenue and EPS vs. consensus if consumption and pricing hold. Hershey's First-Quarter Results Likely to be Strong Amid 'Solid' Consumption Trends, RBC Says
• Positive Sentiment: Cocoa spot and futures prices have collapsed from their 2024 peak (article argues ~74% drop), creating a meaningful potential input-cost tailwind for Hershey that could lift margins over coming quarters as contracts roll and cost savings hit the P&L. The piece also notes the company has resumed dividend increases, signalling cash-flow resilience. Hershey: Cocoa Prices Crashed 74%, And The P&L Hasn't Caught Up Yet
• Positive Sentiment: Brand trust recognition (lists of most trustworthy companies in PA/US) is a reputational positive that supports pricing power and resilience in consumer staples demand. This can be a tailwind for long-term premium positioning. See where Pittsburgh companies rank among most trustworthy in US
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street projections and metric-level previews compile estimates for HSY Q1 (revenue, EPS, consumption, channel inventory metrics). These previews set the beat/miss bar; pay attention to actual consumption, mix, and gross-margin detail. Insights Into Hershey (HSY) Q1: Wall Street Projections for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: MSN provides an earnings preview of what to watch in HSY results (volumes, pricing, channel inventories, margin cadence). Useful for positioning ahead of the print but not new material by itself. Hershey earnings: What to look for from HSY
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional analyst write-ups and forecasts summarize near-term drivers and technicals for HSY; they compile sell-side expectations and scenarios but largely reiterate the same themes (consumption, price/mix, cocoa deflation). Hershey Stock Forecast What Is Driving Hershey Stock Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Duplicate previews from Zacks mirror the Wall Street/preview coverage; they reiterate expectations and highlight margins and crush/commodity pressures in the broader consumer/food complex. Insights Into Hershey (HSY) Q1: Wall Street Projections for Key Metrics (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and some write-ups caution that the benefit of lower cocoa prices may lag the P&L and there remain execution/strategy risks (inventory, promotion, and how quickly cost declines flow to gross margin). If management cannot convert lower input costs into margin expansion or if consumption weakens, upside will be limited. Hershey's Q1 Saw 'Solid' Consumption Trends, RBC Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Two unrelated earnings previews (AB InBev and Archer Daniels Midland) were in the feed — they matter for packaged-food/beverage sector context but are not directly about Hershey. Use them only for macro/commodity comparisons. AB InBev Gears Up to Post Q1 Earnings: What's in Store for the Stock? Archer Daniels to Post Q1 Earnings: What Should Investors Expect?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on HSY. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. DA Davidson set a $243.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, April 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $223.83.

Hershey Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of HSY stock opened at $188.96 on Thursday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $210.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $196.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $150.04 and a 1 year high of $239.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.54, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.18.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This is an increase from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 133.87%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total transaction of $291,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 57,695 shares in the company, valued at $11,198,599.50. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 41,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,277,008.52. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,189,090 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

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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