Scharf Investments LLC Has $90.22 Million Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Scharf Investments LLC cut its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 495,776 shares of the company’s stock after selling 38,244 shares during the period. Hershey comprises 2.4% of Scharf Investments LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Scharf Investments LLC’s holdings in Hershey were worth $90,224,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC grew its position in Hershey by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 3,350 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Econ Financial Services Corp now owns 21,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,908,000 after buying an additional 774 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 43,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,925,000 after buying an additional 2,802 shares in the last quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Hershey by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Jamison Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 12,287 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,236,000 after buying an additional 421 shares during the period. Finally, Signature Wealth Management Group lifted its stake in Hershey by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Signature Wealth Management Group now owns 24,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,526,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 sale, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, 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 hyperlink. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $452,140.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,277,008.52. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,195,945 over the last three months. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on HSY shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. One research 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 company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $223.32.

Hershey Trading Down 2.6%

NYSE:HSY opened at $207.97 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $216.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $195.82. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $150.04 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The company has a market capitalization of $42.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 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.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during 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%. The company’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $1.452 dividend. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.64%.

More Hershey News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey laid out a clear growth plan at its 2026 Investor Day emphasizing expansion beyond core chocolate into salty and better‑for‑you snacks, supply‑chain modernization, and a financial framework aimed at sustained, differentiated performance. This strategy underpins long‑term revenue diversification. Hershey Unveils Strategy to Lead Next Generation Snacking at 2026 Investor Day
• Positive Sentiment: Management and strategy details from Investor Day (full transcript) give investors more visibility into targets, margin levers and product priorities — useful for modeling medium‑term growth and margin recovery. The Hershey Company (HSY) Analyst/Investor Day Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey executives, including Stacy Taffet, reiterated plans for the “next wave of growth” on TV interviews — helpful for investor confidence that management is communicating a consistent execution plan. Hershey Exec Stacy Taffet Shares Details on Company’s Next Wave of Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading was temporarily halted for HSY with reason “News pending,” which creates intraday volatility but is neutral regarding fundamentals unless the pending news materially changes outlook. (Investors should watch for any follow‑up filings or releases.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and partnership initiatives (e.g., Shaq‑A‑Licious gummy promotion, participation in Kargo’s ad beta) support brand extension and marketing reach but are tactical rather than transformational to near‑term results. Shaq Is Back! Shaq-A-Licious SLAMS…
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank recently cut its price target for HSY (reducing expectations) and moved to a hold stance, signaling concerns about valuation and near‑term upside; such analyst downgrades often pressure stock sentiment. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Has Lowered Expectations for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price Benzinga coverage of price target cut
• Negative Sentiment: Several market outlets noted an intraday pullback in HSY as investors digested Investor Day details and the analyst reactions; headlines calling out the dip can accelerate short‑term selling. Hershey (HSY) Stock Dips While Market Gains: Key Facts

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.