Hershey is a leading confectionery manufacturer in the US (around a $25 billion market), controlling around 36% of the domestic chocolate space (per Euromonitor). Beyond its namesake label, the firm's mix has expanded over the last 85 years and now consists of 100 brands, including Reese's, Kit Kat, Kisses, and Ice Breakers. Hershey's products are sold in about 80 countries, albeit with just a high-single-digit percentage of sales coming from markets outside the US, including Brazil, India, and Mexico. The firm has sought inorganic opportunities to extend its reach beyond its core confection business, adding Amplify Snack Brands and its Skinny Pop ready-to-eat popcorn to its mix, Pirate Brands, and Dot's Pretzels over the past few years.

Hershey is a leading confectionery manufacturer in the US (around a $25 billion market), controlling around 36% of the domestic chocolate space (per Euromonitor). Beyond its namesake label, the firm's mix has expanded over the last 85 years and now consists of 100 brands, including Reese's, Kit Kat, Kisses, and Ice Breakers. Hershey's products are sold in about 80 countries, albeit with just a high-single-digit percentage of sales coming from markets outside the US, including Brazil, India, and Mexico. The firm has sought inorganic opportunities to extend its reach beyond its core confection business, adding Amplify Snack Brands and its Skinny Pop ready-to-eat popcorn to its mix, Pirate Brands, and Dot's Pretzels over the past few years.

Hershey Co. produces and markets chocolate and other confections, as well as chocolate-related grocery products. Its major brands include Hershey's, Jolly Rancher, Kit Kat, Heath, Twizzlers, Reese's, Ice Breakers and SkinnyPop. Hershey has expanded into new categories and markets in recent years with the acquisitions of Brookside, Ripple Brand Collective, and Amplify Snack Brands. The company's largest shareholder is the Hershey Trust Company, which owns approximately 22% of the shares outstanding. The company has approximately 18,000 employees. HSY shares are a component of the S&P 500.

Stock indices are at all-time highs, while the overall tone in current and recent sell/buy ratios from Vickers Stock Research remains one of clear caution. Indeed, at 5.47, Vickers' Total One-Week Sell/Buy ratio, which measures activity across the NYSE, Nasdaq, and American Stock Exchange, is at its highest level since July 2023, shortly before the market experienced a 10% pullback in stock prices that extended until late October 2023. With readings above 2.50 signifying bearish sentiment, the Total One-Week ratio has now been in bearish territory since late November, fueling a rise in the Total Eight-Week Sell/Buy ratio to its current reading of 4.51. These cautious readings align with other developing concerns, such as overbought momentum, overbought breadth, and market sentiment that is exceedingly hot. Stocks have performed nicely so far in 2024, but insiders, with a recent uptick in pre-planned sales and decrease in buying, still seem to be building a defensive case.