Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Purchased by Equity Investment Corp

Equity Investment Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 26.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 559,625 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 115,479 shares during the period. Hershey makes up about 2.2% of Equity Investment Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Equity Investment Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $104,678,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HSY. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter worth about $224,000. Liberty One Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Hershey by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 38,076 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,122,000 after buying an additional 9,309 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 58,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,695,000 after acquiring an additional 2,659 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.4% in the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 42,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,957,000 after acquiring an additional 2,573 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CORDA Investment Management LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.6% in the third quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 113,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,276,000 after acquiring an additional 7,064 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Performance

Hershey stock opened at $201.47 on Wednesday. Hershey Company has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $204.41. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $187.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $185.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The company has a market cap of $40.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.11 and a beta of 0.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total value of $298,005.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,394,215.73. The trade was a 2.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,119,450. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hershey News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Jefferies raised their price target to $207 (neutral rating), signaling modest upside and supporting investor confidence. Jefferies Raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson also lifted its price target to $207 (neutral rating), reinforcing the view that valuation upside exists around current levels. DA Davidson Raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey announced an Investor Day for March 31, 2026 — a chance for management to lay out strategy, targets and margin/rationalization plans that could drive medium-term sentiment. Investor Day Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: New seasonal product launches (Easter collection including Jolly Rancher Gummies and expanded Cadbury/Reese’s SKUs) support near-term sales and merchandising momentum into the holiday period. Easter Product Rollout
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary from Zacks lists Hershey among consumer-staple names positioned to beat earnings, citing resilient demand, pricing discipline and easing cost pressures — a bullish catalyst ahead of results. Zacks Picks
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published a Q4 earnings preview for Hershey that highlights key metrics investors should watch; this is informational ahead of the report and may temper surprises. Q4 Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Kalkine Media examines Hershey’s role in the consumer staples portion of the S&P 500 — useful context for index-driven flows but not an immediate catalyst. Kalkine S&P 500 Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks piece on consumer staples earnings watchers notes margin pressure and cautious consumers across the group — a sector-level headwind that investors will weigh against Hershey-specific positives. Consumer Staples Earnings Context
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $185 price target, implying downside versus current levels and creating a countervailing analyst voice. RBC Reaffirmation

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on HSY shares. Piper Sandler set a $213.00 target price on Hershey and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $182.00 price objective on Hershey and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Monday, January 26th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Hershey from $204.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $194.84.

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.