Valley Forge Investment Consultants Inc. ADV Buys New Position in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

Posted by Brian Himes on Aug 19th, 2026

Valley Forge Investment Consultants Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,850 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $675,000. Hershey comprises 0.2% of Valley Forge Investment Consultants Inc. ADV’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Syon Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co boosted its stake in Hershey by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC grew its position in Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its stake in Hershey by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,325 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at $9,043,150. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Bank of America cut their target price on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $190.00 target price on Hershey in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Hershey from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.61.

Read Our Latest Research Report on HSY

Hershey Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE:HSY opened at $183.67 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $177.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $195.62. Hershey Company has a 1-year low of $161.43 and a 1-year high of $239.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.09, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.21 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is 79.23%.

Hershey Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.