W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co Has $5.09 Million Stake in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co decreased its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 14.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,976 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,891 shares during the quarter. W.G. Shaheen & Associates DBA Whitney & Co’s holdings in Hershey were worth $5,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC increased its position in Hershey by 107.4% during 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and revenue beat consensus — Hershey reported $2.35 EPS vs. $2.05 expected and $3.10B in revenue vs. $3.02B expected; margins and ROE remain healthy, which supports near-term earnings momentum. Hershey Q1 Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase/confirmation — the board declared quarterly dividends of $1.452 (Common) and $1.320 (Class B), reinforcing the shareholder-return story that often supports the stock. Hershey Declares Quarterly Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Company reaffirmed full-year 2026 sales and earnings outlook — management kept its guidance intact, reducing uncertainty about the remainder of the year. Hershey Reports First-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Profit boost driven by pricing — press coverage notes profit rose as price hikes offset volume declines; this supports near-term revenue but is mixed for longer-term consumption trends. Hershey Profit Jumps as Price Hikes Boost Sales
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst previews flagged “solid” consumption trends into Q1 — supportive context for the beat but not a clear catalyst for sustained upside. Hershey’s First-Quarter Results Likely to be Strong
• Negative Sentiment: Unit volumes declined — management and press note falling sales volume even as pricing lifted revenue; weaker volumes can limit long-term top-line growth and invite margin pressure if pricing power fades. Hershey Profit Jumps as Price Hikes Boost Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Rich valuation — HSY trades at a high P/E (~43.5), which may limit upside if future growth disappoints or macro headwinds re-emerge. No external link

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at $9,277,008.52. The trade was a 4.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares in the company, valued at $11,198,599.50. The trade was 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. Insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,189,090 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on HSY. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. DA Davidson set a $243.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $230.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $223.83.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $188.96 on Thursday. Hershey Company has a 12-month low of $150.04 and a 12-month high of $239.48. The business’s fifty day moving average is $210.90 and its 200 day moving average is $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. The stock has a market cap of $38.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.18.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.30. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.02 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 8.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

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