Rep. C. Scott Franklin Sells Off Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY)

Representative C. Scott Franklin (Republican-Florida) recently sold shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY). In a filing disclosed on February 23rd, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Hershey stock on February 10th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “FIDELITY ROTH IRA” account.

Representative C. Scott Franklin also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $50,001 – $100,000 in shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) on 2/10/2026.

Hershey Trading Up 1.8%

NYSE:HSY opened at $230.23 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $46.69 billion, a PE ratio of 53.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $199.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $189.15. Hershey Company has a 12 month low of $150.04 and a 12 month high of $234.87.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $1.452 dividend. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 133.87%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $177,000. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 2,318 shares of the company’s stock valued at $422,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 4,478.5% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 586,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,666,000 after purchasing an additional 573,339 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 521.1% during the fourth quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 10,788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,963,000 after purchasing an additional 9,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $152,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total value of $329,490.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 50,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,162,901.54. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold 4,500 shares of company stock valued at $910,260 in the last quarter. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HSY has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Piper Sandler set a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $220.32.

About Representative Franklin

Scott Franklin (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Florida’s 18th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Franklin (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Florida’s 18th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Scott Franklin was born in Thomaston, Georgia. Franklin graduated from Lakeland High School. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1986 to 2000 and the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2000 to 2012.

Franklin earned a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy in 1986 and an M.B.A. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1994. Franklin’s career experience includes owning an insurance agency and working as a naval aviator with the U.S. Navy.

About Hershey

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.