Hershey Company (The) $HSY Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jul 22nd, 2026

KBC Group NV decreased its position in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY – Free Report) by 7.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 64,053 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,424 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Hershey were worth $13,316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators acquired a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $9,633,000. Prudential PLC grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 237.3% in the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 7,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,454,000 after purchasing an additional 5,620 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 38,266.7% in the 4th quarter. Friedenthal Financial now owns 5,755 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 5,740 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,744,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Hershey by 126.4% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 84,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,508,000 after purchasing an additional 47,017 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Stock Down 0.7%

HSY stock opened at $170.53 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey Company has a 52-week low of $161.43 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $181.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $197.08.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.09 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 108.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.43, for a total transaction of $260,145.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 54,695 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,485,753.85. The trade was a 2.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on HSY. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. DA Davidson upgraded Hershey to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $211.89.

View Our Latest Analysis on HSY

About Hershey

(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.