Rep. C. Scott Franklin Sells Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Stock

Representative C. Scott Franklin (Republican-Florida) recently sold shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY). In a filing disclosed on February 23rd, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $50,001 and $100,000 in Hershey stock on February 10th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “FIDELITY TRADITIONAL IRA” account.

Representative C. Scott Franklin also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) on 2/10/2026.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY opened at $229.69 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $200.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $189.43. Hershey Company has a one year low of $150.04 and a one year high of $234.87. The company has a market capitalization of $46.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

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

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.87%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% during the third 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. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 123.0% in the 4th quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total transaction of $329,490.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 50,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,162,901.54. This represents a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders sold a total of 4,500 shares of company stock worth $910,260 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on HSY. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Stephens upped their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Hershey to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $222.21.

About Representative Franklin

Scott Franklin (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 18th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Franklin (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 18th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Scott Franklin was born in Thomaston, Georgia. Franklin graduated from Lakeland High School. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1986 to 2000 and the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2000 to 2012.

Franklin earned a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy in 1986 and an M.B.A. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1994. Franklin’s career experience includes owning an insurance agency and working as a naval aviator with the U.S. Navy.

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.