M&T Bank Corp Has $36.68 Million Holdings in Hershey Company (The) $HSY

M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) by 434.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 185,850 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 151,055 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Hershey were worth $36,681,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $559,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. BSW Wealth Partners grew its position in shares of Hershey by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Bellevue Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bellevue Asset Management LLC now owns 514 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its position in shares of Hershey by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 798 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on HSY shares. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Hershey from $236.00 to $215.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Hershey from $238.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $243.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $224.94.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $188.77 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $38.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.50, a P/E/G 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. Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $150.04 and a 1 year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Hershey Company will post 8.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.452 dividend. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 133.87%.

Key Headlines Impacting Hershey

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 related 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 value of $291,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 57,695 shares of the company’s stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,277,008.52. The trade was a 4.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,189,090 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hershey 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.