Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Acquires 9,286 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 84.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 20,330 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,286 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Hershey were worth $3,700,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in HSY. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,618,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 20.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 697 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth $267,000. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its holdings in Hershey by 4.5% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,975,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in Hershey by 5.4% in the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 22,247 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,692,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total value of $291,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 57,695 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,198,599.50. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,189,090. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on HSY shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 price objective on Hershey in a report on Friday. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Hershey from $215.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Mizuho increased their price objective on Hershey from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $220.56.

Hershey News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results topped estimates: Hershey reported stronger-than-expected revenue and adjusted EPS, driven by pricing and cost pass-through, which supports near-term top-line durability. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: GLP‑1 tailwind for mints/gum: Management said rising use of GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs is boosting demand for mints and gum (Ice Breakers), a growing, higher‑margin category offsetting some snack weakness. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase/confirmation: Hershey declared its quarterly dividend ($1.452/share), supporting income investors and signaling confidence in cash flow. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings-call color — innovation and seasonal help: Management cited strong Easter sales and innovation/premiumization gains (luxury chocolate initiatives), which support medium‑term brand momentum but are not immediate growth guarantees. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure from higher input and freight costs: Several coverage pieces and the company commentary highlight rising costs that compressed margins despite the beat — a key reason investors are less enthused. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Softer guidance focus: Although Hershey reaffirmed 2026 guidance, investors fixated on slightly softer near‑term wording and demand uncertainty, which trimmed sentiment after the print. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst reactions trimmed optimism: Multiple firms kept neutral/hold stances or lowered price targets (Barclays, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, BTIG maintained/adjusted coverage), reflecting concerns about near‑term demand elasticity and a premium valuation — adding selling pressure. Read More. Read More. Read More.

Hershey Trading Down 1.8%

NYSE HSY opened at $182.32 on Friday. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $150.04 and a 12 month high of $239.48. The stock has a market cap of $36.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.07. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $210.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $196.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.09 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.87%.

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.