Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Raises Stock Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 60,978 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,239 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $11,406,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Choreo LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Bellevue Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Hershey by 13.5% in the third quarter. Bellevue Asset Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its stake in Hershey by 8.4% in the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $149,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in Hershey by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market rotation back into defensive, cash‑generative names is supporting demand for consumer staples like Hershey; Barron’s highlights Hershey among recent “new darlings” as AI faded from favor. How Hershey, United Airlines, and Others Unseated AI to Become the New Stock Market Darlings
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added HSY to its top income picks (Zacks Rank #1), which can attract yield‑seeking investors given Hershey’s larger dividend this year. Best Income Stocks to Buy for February 9th
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks research also flags Hershey as benefiting from the market’s shift toward earnings stability and cash flow, reinforcing the defensive case. Take the Zacks Approach to Beat the Markets: Hershey’s, Fastenal, Kennametal in Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey is paying a larger dividend than a year ago, supporting the income story for long‑term holders. Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year
• Positive Sentiment: At least one outlet reported a higher price target ($220), which can provide trading support. Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Raised to $220.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Press coverage and analyst notes continue to review Hershey’s consumer‑goods positioning; these commentaries provide context but no clear consensus signal. Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Goods Companies: Coursera (COUR) and The Hershey Company (HSY)
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintaining a Hold rating is a neutral-to-cautious signal that can limit upside momentum until analysts update views. Wells Fargo Keeps Their Hold Rating on The Hershey Company (HSY)
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analysis argues the post‑earnings jump may not be sustainable given stretched valuation, signaling potential for profit‑taking. Hershey: The Reasons Why The Post‑Earnings Jump Is Not Sustainable
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage of analyst skepticism notes that despite year‑to‑date outperformance, many analysts remain cautious—this can cap gains if upgrades don’t follow. Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting Hershey Stock Will Climb or Sink?

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, insider Stacy Taffet bought 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner acquired 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at $8,876,115.60. The trade was a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HSY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday. Argus raised shares of Hershey to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $267.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $218.21.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $230.43 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $150.04 and a 12-month high of $234.87. The company has a market cap of $46.73 billion, a PE ratio of 53.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.18. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $190.59 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $186.28.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 126.27%.

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.