Ossiam grew its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 780.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 105,624 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 93,621 shares during the period. Ossiam owned 0.05% of Hershey worth $19,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of HSY. Choreo LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.6% in the second quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the company's stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Bellevue Asset Management LLC grew its position in Hershey by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bellevue Asset Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the company's stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its position in Hershey by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 798 shares of the company's stock worth $149,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 367 shares of the company's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $238.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $249.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $222.21.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on HSY
Hershey Price Performance
Shares of Hershey stock opened at $216.88 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $210.70 and a 200 day moving average of $193.26. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $150.04 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The company has a market cap of $43.96 billion, a PE ratio of 49.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.
Hershey Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey's payout ratio is presently 133.87%.
Key Hershey News
Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded HSY to a Strong Buy, citing improved earnings prospects and momentum that could drive further upside as analysts revise estimates and buy-side interest grows. Hershey (HSY) Upgraded to Strong Buy: Here's Why
- Positive Sentiment: HSY was added to multiple Zacks Rank #1 lists (momentum and income), increasing visibility to model-driven and income-oriented investors who follow Zacks screeners. This can lift demand for the shares in the near term. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for March 12th
- Positive Sentiment: Underlying fundamentals remain supportive: Hershey reported a quarterly EPS beat and raised FY guidance (FY2026 EPS range cited in filings), which underpins analyst upgrades and higher valuation multiples. (Context from company results and guidance.)
- Neutral Sentiment: Industry comparison piece shows how Coca‑Cola HBC and other staples are faring versus the sector; useful for relative investors but not a direct catalyst for HSY alone. Is Coca-Cola HBC (CCHGY) Outperforming Other Consumer Staples Stocks This Year?
- Neutral Sentiment: Campbell’s quarterly miss (weaker snacks demand, margin pressure) highlights category headwinds that could affect investor sentiment toward packaged‑food peers, including Hershey, if trends broaden — monitor volume/mix and cost commentary across peers. Campbell's Q2 Earnings & Revenues Miss Estimates, Sales Down 5% Y/Y
- Negative Sentiment: A Yahoo Finance column lays out "3 reasons HSY is risky" and recommends an alternative stock, flagging valuation, growth sustainability, and category risk — a cautionary note that may cap some upside and prompt profit‑taking among risk‑averse holders. 3 Reasons HSY is Risky and 1 Stock to Buy Instead
Insider Activity at Hershey
In related 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 value of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,814,787.76. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 have sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,153,645 over the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Hershey Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Featured Articles
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.
Before you consider Hershey, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Hershey wasn't on the list.
While Hershey currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Learn the basics of options trading and how to use them to boost returns and manage risk with this free report from MarketBeat. Click the link below to get your free copy.
Get This Free Report