Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Purchased by Mairs & Power Inc.

Mairs & Power Inc. raised its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 71,293 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,278 shares during the period. Mairs & Power Inc.’s holdings in Hershey were worth $13,335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in Hershey by 1,537.5% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 46.3% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 199 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added HSY to its Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth-stocks list, increasing attention from growth-oriented investors and suggesting upside versus peers. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for March 17th
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on HSY from $238 to $247 and moved to an Overweight rating — a direct catalyst for buy-side interest and a signal that expectations for revenue/margin tailwinds have improved. Price Target Raise Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and financial press highlighted that Hershey outpaced the market in recent trading (shares were up vs. the prior session), citing its strong execution and positioning. This momentum reflects short-term buying interest. Why Hershey (HSY) Outpaced the Stock Market Today
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage lauds Hershey as among the strongest Q4 performers in the shelf-stable food group, reinforcing confidence in its recent results and FY26 guidance (management reiterated solid EPS outlook). Strongest Q4 Results from the Shelf-Stable Food Group
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey launched a unified portfolio strategy (sweet, salty, protein) aimed at simplifying go-to-market and cross-selling — a strategic move that can boost innovation leverage and margin over time. Hershey Begins First Day Under Unified Portfolio
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey joined major peers on the TogetherCocoa initiative (Lindt, Mars, Mondelez, Nestlé) — a reputational/ESG positive that can reduce regulatory and supply-chain risk exposure while supporting long-term cocoa sourcing stability. HSY Partners With Lindt, Mars, Mondelez, Nestlé on TogetherCocoa
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised Mondelez to Top Pick on expectations of cocoa deflation — a theme that could benefit all large confectioners (including Hershey) but also lifts a direct competitor, so the net competitive impact is ambiguous. Morgan Stanley Raises Mondelez to Top Pick
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that Hershey will streamline its U.S. businesses were published; streamlining could lower costs (positive) but may include near-term disruption or charges (makes impact uncertain). Hershey to Streamline US Businesses

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,277,008.52. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total value of $329,490.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 50,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,162,901.54. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,153,645. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on HSY shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target 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. Stephens increased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $185.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Bank of America boosted their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $267.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. One investment 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.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $222.68.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $219.92 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $44.58 billion, a PE ratio of 50.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.14. Hershey Company has a twelve month low of $150.04 and a twelve month high of $239.48. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $211.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $193.70. 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 (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. The company 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%. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 133.87%.

Hershey 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.