Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Grows Stake in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 16.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 156,303 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,995 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $28,444,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in Hershey by 1,537.5% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the third quarter worth $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in Hershey in the third quarter worth $35,000. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in Hershey in the third quarter worth $41,000. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC grew its position in Hershey by 107.4% in the third quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 224 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $236.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $223.83.

Hershey News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC and other outlets expect Hershey to report a strong Q1 driven by “solid” consumption trends, which could support an upside beat on revenue and EPS vs. consensus if consumption and pricing hold. Hershey’s First-Quarter Results Likely to be Strong Amid ‘Solid’ Consumption Trends, RBC Says
• Positive Sentiment: Cocoa spot and futures prices have collapsed from their 2024 peak (article argues ~74% drop), creating a meaningful potential input-cost tailwind for Hershey that could lift margins over coming quarters as contracts roll and cost savings hit the P&L. The piece also notes the company has resumed dividend increases, signalling cash-flow resilience. Hershey: Cocoa Prices Crashed 74%, And The P&L Hasn’t Caught Up Yet
• Positive Sentiment: Brand trust recognition (lists of most trustworthy companies in PA/US) is a reputational positive that supports pricing power and resilience in consumer staples demand. This can be a tailwind for long-term premium positioning. See where Pittsburgh companies rank among most trustworthy in US
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street projections and metric-level previews compile estimates for HSY Q1 (revenue, EPS, consumption, channel inventory metrics). These previews set the beat/miss bar; pay attention to actual consumption, mix, and gross-margin detail. Insights Into Hershey (HSY) Q1: Wall Street Projections for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: MSN provides an earnings preview of what to watch in HSY results (volumes, pricing, channel inventories, margin cadence). Useful for positioning ahead of the print but not new material by itself. Hershey earnings: What to look for from HSY
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional analyst write-ups and forecasts summarize near-term drivers and technicals for HSY; they compile sell-side expectations and scenarios but largely reiterate the same themes (consumption, price/mix, cocoa deflation). Hershey Stock Forecast What Is Driving Hershey Stock Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Duplicate previews from Zacks mirror the Wall Street/preview coverage; they reiterate expectations and highlight margins and crush/commodity pressures in the broader consumer/food complex. Insights Into Hershey (HSY) Q1: Wall Street Projections for Key Metrics (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and some write-ups caution that the benefit of lower cocoa prices may lag the P&L and there remain execution/strategy risks (inventory, promotion, and how quickly cost declines flow to gross margin). If management cannot convert lower input costs into margin expansion or if consumption weakens, upside will be limited. Hershey’s Q1 Saw ‘Solid’ Consumption Trends, RBC Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Two unrelated earnings previews (AB InBev and Archer Daniels Midland) were in the feed — they matter for packaged-food/beverage sector context but are not directly about Hershey. Use them only for macro/commodity comparisons. AB InBev Gears Up to Post Q1 Earnings: What’s in Store for the Stock? Archer Daniels to Post Q1 Earnings: What Should Investors Expect?

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $188.96 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $210.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $196.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 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 $239.48. The firm has a market cap of $38.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.54, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.18.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.69 earnings per share. 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.4 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 133.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other Hershey news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at $9,277,008.52. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,189,090 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.