The Hershey Company (HSY) Climbs to 52-Week High Ahead of Dividends

We recently published 10 Stocks Withstanding Market Turbulence. The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) was one of the best performers on Thursday.

The Hershey Company soared to a new 52-week high on Thursday after five consecutive days of gains, as investors loaded portfolios ahead of its dividend payment.

At intra-day trading, The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) soared to its highest price of $225.55 before paring gains to end the day just up by 9.03 percent at $224.38 apiece.

In a statement after its earnings call, the company said it would distribute $1.452 worth of dividends to its common shareholders, as well as $1.320 to Class B common shareholders as of February 17, payable on March 16, 2026.

The announcement followed a mixed earnings performance last year, with The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) incurring a 60 percent drop in its net income to $883.3 million versus $2.2 billion in 2024.

Net sales, on the other hand, inched up by 4.46 percent to $11.7 billion from $11.2 billion year-on-year.

In the fourth quarter alone, net income stood at $320 million, a decrease of 60 percent from the $796 million in the same period.

Looking ahead, The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) is targeting to grow its net sales by 4 to 5 percent this yeardriven by net price realization and increased innovation, cultural and seasonal activations, and advertising levels to support demand.

Full-year adjusted diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $8.20 to $8.52, or an increase of 30 percent to 35 percent versus 2025. Sales growth and gross margin recovery are expected to more than offset increased strategic investment in brands, capabilities, and technology, as well as higher interest expense.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.