Chesapeake Capital Corp IL Takes Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Chesapeake Capital Corp IL bought a new position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,729 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $698,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $234,386,000. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Hershey by 240.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,262,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,183,000 after acquiring an additional 891,287 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $125,868,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 121.2% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,104,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,559,000 after acquiring an additional 605,048 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Hershey by 44.7% during the 2nd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,232,595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,549,000 after acquiring an additional 380,512 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $216.88 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $43.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $210.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $193.26. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $150.04 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) 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 company had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company 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 $1.452 dividend. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 133.87%.

Key Headlines Impacting Hershey

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 Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total transaction of $329,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 50,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,162,901.54. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the company’s 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 owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at $7,814,787.76. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,153,645. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $185.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $222.21.

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.