Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Boosts Stake in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its stake in Hershey by 11.4% in the fourth quarter to 100,197 shares, worth about $18.26 million after buying an additional 10,263 shares.
• Wall Street views are mixed: Goldman Sachs reiterated a Buy with a $267 target and several firms raised or cut targets, but the consensus rating remains "Hold" with an average price target of $223.83 (six Buys, seventeen Holds).
• Hershey reported a quarterly beat of $1.71 EPS (vs. $1.40 est.) on $3.09B revenue, set FY2026 guidance of $8.20–$8.52 EPS, and announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.452 ($5.81 annualized, ~3.0% yield).

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Free Report) by 11.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 100,197 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,263 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in Hershey were worth $18,255,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd raised its position in Hershey by 65.1% in the fourth quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 3,703 shares of the company's stock valued at $674,000 after purchasing an additional 1,460 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its position in Hershey by 18.9% in the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 409 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Planned Solutions Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Planned Solutions Inc. now owns 1,538 shares of the company's stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. Probity Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $385,000. Finally, SageGuard Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at $735,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs initiated a Buy on HSY, providing a bullish bench of institutional support that can limit downside and attract buyers. The Hershey Company (HSY) Gets a Buy from Goldman Sachs
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target from $247 to $227 but kept an Overweight rating—still implying material upside (about ~18% from current levels), which supports a constructive medium-term view. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG started coverage with a Neutral rating, praising Hershey's pricing, cost dynamics and international expansion but not yet enough to drive an upgrade. Why Are Wall Street Firms Cautious on The Hershey Company (HSY)
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on a recent ~10% pullback frames HSY as either a dip to buy after a strong multi-year run or a signal of near-term volatility—investors are debating valuation vs. momentum. Is It Too Late To Consider Hershey (HSY) After Recent 10.7% Share Price Pullback?
• Neutral Sentiment: An executive stock-sale disclosure drew attention but didn't produce a clear directional signal—worth monitoring insider activity for follow-through. Did Hershey Shares Move After Exec Stock Sale Disclosure?
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and previews (Zacks/Yahoo) expect a decline in upcoming quarterly earnings and note Hershey lacks clear beat catalysts, raising short-term downside risk around the report. Analysts Estimate Hershey (HSY) to Report a Decline in Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel and other commentators issued cautious/pessimistic views on HSY's near-term outlook, adding selling pressure amid concerns about volumes and margin trends in packaged foods. Stifel Nicolaus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Hershey NYSE: HSY Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Broader consumer-staples commentary flags sector underperformance vs. the market, creating headwinds for brand names like Hershey if risk appetite stays tilted toward growth. 3 Consumer Stocks We Think Twice About

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on HSY. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $267.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Stephens boosted their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Hershey from $240.00 to $225.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $223.83.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the company'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 $791,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 57,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,198,599.50. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,189,090. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hershey Trading Down 0.3%

HSY opened at $191.60 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $150.04 and a 12 month high of $239.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.15, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $212.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $196.86.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. This is an increase from Hershey's previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey's payout ratio is currently 133.64%.

About Hershey

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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