M&T Bank Corp Acquires 151,055 Shares of Hershey Company (The) $HSY

M&T Bank Corp increased its position in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 434.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 185,850 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 151,055 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp owned approximately 0.09% of Hershey worth $36,681,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 107.4% in the 3rd quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs maintains a “Buy” on HSY and a high price target, supporting upside expectations and providing dealer-led confidence in Hershey’s growth outlook. Goldman Sachs Buy Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Hershey is reshaping its sustainability strategy; management says progress has been made but more work is required as consumers focus on product attributes — this is a longer-term reputational and cost/benefit story rather than an immediate earnings swing. Sustainability Strategy Changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Market consensus remains a “Hold” on HSY across brokerages, reflecting mixed analyst views and indicating limited near-term conviction among the Street. Consensus Hold Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Hershey’s CFO sold 1,500 shares; the trade was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan, which reduces the informational significance of the sale but keeps insider activity on investors’ radar. CFO Insider Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus cut its price target to $215 and moved to a “Hold,” trimming the Street’s near-term upside and contributing downward pressure on sentiment. Stifel Nicolaus Hold / PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan lowered its expectations for Hershey’s stock price, signaling more conservative estimates from a major bank and adding to analyst-driven downside risk. JPMorgan Lowers Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Recent market reports noted a modest pullback in HSY trading (shares fell in the latest session), reflecting the combined effect of downgrades and mixed investor reaction to company and macro news. Recent Trading Pullback

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total transaction of $291,150.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares in the company, valued at $11,198,599.50. This represents a 2.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,189,090. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $249.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. DA Davidson set a $243.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $236.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $224.94.

Hershey Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of HSY opened at $188.77 on Thursday. Hershey Company has a 52 week low of $150.04 and a 52 week high of $239.48. The firm has a market cap of $38.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.18. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $214.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $196.91. 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 announced its quarterly 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. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. Hershey’s quarterly 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, analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 8.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.452 dividend. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.