[8-K] HERSHEY CO Reports Material Event

Filing Impact

(Very High)

Filing Sentiment

(Neutral)

Form Type

8-K

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

The Hershey Company reaffirmed its 2026 full-year financial outlook while outlining a strategy to “Lead Next Generation Snacking” at its Investor Day. The company continues to project net sales growth of 4% to 5%, including organic net sales growth of 2.5% to 3.5%.

Hershey also maintains expectations for reported earnings per share growth of 79% to 89% and adjusted earnings per share growth of 30% to 35%, with net sales benefitting by about 150 basis points from its 2025 acquisition of LesserEvil, LLC.

Insights

Hershey reaffirms strong 2026 growth targets and details a multi-year snacking strategy.

Hershey is keeping its 2026 guidance intact, signaling confidence in its plan. The outlook calls for net sales growth of 4% to 5%, with organic net sales up 2.5% to 3.5%, plus explicit contributions from the LesserEvil acquisition.

The company is targeting reported earnings per share growth of 79% to 89% and adjusted earnings per share growth of 30% to 35%. Management ties this to a strategy centered on a next-generation snacking portfolio, a unified “One Hershey” commercial model, and productivity from a modern, automated supply chain.

Because the outlook is reaffirmed rather than raised, this represents continuity rather than a step-change. Future company communications are expected to show how execution in salty, functional, and better-for-you snacking supports these growth and margin restoration goals.

8-K Event Classification

3 items: 2.02, 7.01, 9.01

3 items

Item 2.02 Results of Operations and Financial Condition Financial

Disclosure of earnings results, typically an earnings press release or preliminary financials.

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure Disclosure

Material non-public information disclosed under Regulation Fair Disclosure, often investor presentations or guidance.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits Exhibits

Financial statements, pro forma financial information, and exhibit attachments filed with this report.

Key Figures

2026 net sales growth: 4% to 5% 2026 organic net sales growth: 2.5% to 3.5% Reported EPS growth: 79% to 89% +3 more

6 metrics

2026 net sales growth 4% to 5% Full-year 2026 guidance

2026 organic net sales growth 2.5% to 3.5% Full-year 2026 guidance

Reported EPS growth 79% to 89% Full-year 2026 guidance

Adjusted EPS growth 30% to 35% Full-year 2026 guidance

Acquisition benefit to sales 150 basis points Net sales benefit from 2025 LesserEvil acquisition in 2026

Investor Day start time 12:00 p.m. ET 2026 Investor Day webcast

Key Terms

organic net sales growth, adjusted earnings per share, basis point, Investor Day, +2 more

6 terms

organic net sales growth financial

"The Hershey Company is reaffirming its net sales, organic sales and earnings per share guidance for fiscal year 2026."

Organic net sales growth measures how much a company’s core revenue rose from its existing operations, excluding effects from buying or selling businesses and from changes in currency values. Investors use it to see whether customers are actually buying more or paying higher prices — like checking growth from the same orchard year-to-year rather than counting fruit from newly added orchards — which helps assess true demand and underlying business health.

basis point financial

"Reflects an approximate 150 basis point benefit from the 2025 acquisition of LesserEvil, LLC."

A basis point is a unit equal to one one‑hundredth of a percent (0.01%), used to describe very small changes in interest rates, bond yields, fees or other percentage figures. Think of it like a single dollar change on $10,000: tiny by itself but meaningful when applied to large sums or repeated over time, so investors use basis points to track and compare small but financially significant moves precisely.

Investor Day financial

"The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is hosting its 2026 Investor Day today at the New York Stock Exchange."

A scheduled event where a company presents its business plan, financial outlook, and strategic priorities directly to investors and analysts; think of it as a detailed road‑map meeting where management explains how they plan to grow and make money. Investors pay attention because the presentations reveal management’s targets, assumptions and risks—new details that can change expectations about future profits and therefore the stock’s value, much like seeing a pilot’s flight plan helps predict where the plane is headed.

forward-looking statements regulatory

"This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to our 2026 Full-year Financial Outlook"

Forward-looking statements are predictions or plans that companies share about what they expect to happen in the future, like estimating sales or profits. They matter because they help investors understand a company's outlook, but since they are based on guesses and assumptions, they can sometimes be wrong.

Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regulatory

"This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995"

Earnings Snapshot

Net sales growth: 4% to 5% · Guidance included

Full-year 2026

Net sales growth 4% to 5%

Organic net sales growth 2.5% to 3.5%

Reported EPS growth 79% to 89%

Adjusted EPS growth 30% to 35%

Guidance

The company reaffirmed its 2026 full-year outlook for net sales, organic net sales, and both reported and adjusted earnings per share.

Understanding 8-K Material Events →

03/31/2026 - 11:58 AM

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

March 31, 2026

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

THE HERSHEY COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

1-183

23-0691590

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)

(Commission File Number)

(IRS Employer Identification No.)

19 East Chocolate Avenue

Hershey, PA 17033

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

(717) 534-4200

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:


☐						Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐						Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐						Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐						Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, one dollar par value

HSY

New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).


Emerging Growth Company						☐


If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.						☐


Item 2.02.						Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On March 31, 2026, The Hershey Company (the “Company”) issued a press release reaffirming its 2026 Full-year Financial Outlook.

A copy of such press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference herein.


Item 7.01.						Regulation FD Disclosure.

The Company will be discussing its financial outlook and its strategic plans during its previously announced 2026 Investor Day to be held via live webcast. A copy of the presentation materials to be utilized during the meeting is furnished as Exhibit 99.2. and is incorporated by reference herein.

The information furnished pursuant to Items 2.02 and 7.01, including Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2, shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities under that Section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

Item 9.01.

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d)

Exhibits.

Exhibit Number

Description

99.1

Press Release dated March 31, 2026

99.2

2026 Investor Day Presentation Materials

104

Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

THE HERSHEY COMPANY

Date: March 31, 2026

By:

/s/ Steven E. Voskuil

Steven E. Voskuil
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Exhibit 99.1

FINANCIAL CONTACT:

MEDIA CONTACT:

Anoori Naughton

Allison Kleinfelter

anaughton@hersheys.com

akleinfelter@hersheys.com

Hershey Unveils Strategy to Lead Next Generation Snacking at 2026 Investor Day

HERSHEY, Pa., March 31, 2026 - The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is hosting its 2026 Investor Day today at the New York Stock Exchange. During the event, the Company’s executive leadership team will outline Hershey’s strategic priorities and financial framework designed to Lead Next Generation Snacking and drive sustained, differentiated performance over the near and long term.

"Hershey is built to Lead Next Generation Snacking, and today we're sharing exactly how we get there,” said Kirk Tanner, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Hershey Company. “With a differentiated portfolio, we are uniquely positioned to win with our iconic core brands and expand faster in high growth spaces. Through One Hershey, we go to market as one integrated team across sweet, salty, and functional snacking. The strategy is clear. The team is ready. The next chapter of growth and leading performance starts now."

At the Investor Day event, the Company’s executive leadership team will highlight:

•Next Generation Portfolio and Innovation: Building on the strength of iconic confection brands to expand into premium and better-for-you options, while accelerating growth in salty and functional snacking categories, with a robust five-year innovation pipeline to grow the core and expand into the fastest-growing parts of snacking.

•One Hershey Commercial Model: Going to market as one integrated team across sweet, salty, and functional snacking to drive total portfolio growth, expand distribution, and sharpen execution at retail.

•Modern Supply Chain and Productivity: A faster, smarter and more resilient supply chain powered by automation, technology, and AI-enabled decision making, delivering sustained productivity gains that help fuel reinvestment.

•Differentiated Performance: The executive leadership team will lay out a clear path to restoring margin and earnings and sustaining long-term balanced top- and bottom-line growth, supporting top-tier shareholder returns.

Financial Outlook

The Hershey Company is reaffirming its net sales, organic sales and earnings per share guidance for fiscal year 2026.

2026 Full-Year Outlook

Guidance

Net sales growth1

4% to 5%

Organic net sales growth

2.5% to 3.5%

Reported earnings per share growth

79% to 89%

Adjusted earnings per share growth

30% to 35%

1 Reflects an approximate 150 basis point benefit from the 2025 acquisition of LesserEvil, LLC.

Webcast Details

The meeting begins at 12:00 p.m. ET. To participate in the event, please visit the Investors section of the Company’s corporate website at https://investors.thehersheycompany.com/ under Events & Webcasts. A replay of the webcast will be available on the Company’s website following the event.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to our 2026 Full-year Financial Outlook and other statements regarding our business outlook, long-term targets and financial performance. Many of these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "continue," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "future," "intend," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "strategy," "target" and similar terms, and future or conditional tense verbs like "could," "may," "might," "should," "will" and "would," among others. These statements are made based upon current expectations that are subject to risk and uncertainty. Because actual results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements when deciding whether to buy, sell or hold the Company's securities. Factors that could cause results to differ materially include, but are not limited to: disruptions or inefficiencies in our

supply chain due to the loss or disruption of essential manufacturing or supply elements or other factors; issues, concerns or regulatory changes related to the quality and safety of our products, ingredients or packaging, human and workplace rights, and other environmental, social or governance matters; changes in raw material and other costs, along with the availability of adequate supplies of raw materials and the Company's ability to successfully hedge against volatility in raw material pricing; the Company's ability to successfully execute business continuity plans to address changes in consumer preferences and the broader economic and operating environment; selling price increases, including volume declines associated with pricing elasticity; market demand for our new and existing products; increased marketplace competition; failure to successfully execute and integrate acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures; changes in governmental laws, regulations and policies, including taxes and tariffs; political, economic, and/or financial market conditions, including with respect to inflation, rising interest rates, slower growth or recession, evolving priorities of the U.S. administration, and other events beyond our control such as the impacts on the business arising from international conflicts and geopolitical tensions; risks and uncertainties related to our international operations; disruptions, failures or security breaches of our information technology infrastructure and that of our customers and partners (including our suppliers); our ability to hire, engage and retain a talented global workforce, our ability to realize expected cost savings and operating efficiencies associated with strategic initiatives or restructuring programs; complications with the design, implementation or usage of our new enterprise resource planning system, including the ability to support post-implementation efforts and maintain enhancements, new features or modifications; and such other matters as discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and from time to time in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the Company's expectations.