Three Blue-Chip Stocks Designed for a Shifting Market
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 08 2026
0mins
Should l Buy HSY?
Source: Marketbeat
Sector Rotation: Investors are moving funds from overvalued sectors, particularly tech, into undervalued sectors like energy and consumer staples, as they seek stability in a rotating market.
Duke Energy: Duke Energy is highlighted as a strong investment option due to its stable dividend yield of around 3.2% and its focus on diverse energy sources, positioning it well for future growth.
Gilead Sciences: Gilead is recognized for its defensive growth potential in the biotech sector, with strong performance in HIV therapies and upcoming product launches expected to drive revenue growth.
Hershey Company: Hershey's stock has seen significant gains, breaking out of a bearish trend, and analysts forecast strong earnings growth, making it a recommended buy in the consumer staples sector.
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Analyst Views on HSY
Wall Street analysts forecast HSY stock price to fall
17 Analyst Rating
3 Buy
14 Hold
0 Sell
Hold
Current: 213.730
Low
181.00
Averages
196.27
High
222.00
Current: 213.730
Low
181.00
Averages
196.27
High
222.00
About HSY
The Hershey Company is a snacks company. The Company's segments include North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks and International. The North America Confectionery segment is responsible for its traditional chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery market position in the United States and Canada. This includes its business in chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery, gum and refreshment products, protein bars, spreads, snack bites and mixes, as well as pantry and food service lines. This segment also includes its retail operations. The North America Salty Snacks segment is responsible for its salty snacking products in the United States. This includes ready-to-eat popcorn, baked and trans fat free snacks, pretzels and other snacks. The Company's portfolio includes chocolate and confectionery brands such as Hershey's, Reese's, Kisses, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Ice Breakers, LesserEvil, Shaq-a-licious alongside salty snacks, including SkinnyPop and Dot's Homestyle Pretzels.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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See More
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- Leadership Adjustments: Starting March 16, the leadership structure will remain largely unchanged, but responsibilities will be updated, with Andrew Archambault overseeing commercial planning and execution, thereby strengthening operational efficiency.
- Strategic Team Expansion: Nitin Jain joins the executive team reporting directly to CEO Kirk Tanner, while Stacy Taffet expands her role to oversee demand creation capabilities, reflecting the company's focus on market growth and strategic realignment.
See More
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- Dividend Growth Milestone: Archer-Daniels-Midland has achieved 53 consecutive years of dividend increases, with a current yield of 2.9%, solidifying its status as a 'Dividend King' and attracting income-focused investors.
- 2026 Earnings Forecast: The company projects earnings per share for 2026 to be between $3.60 and $4.25, representing a 30% to 35% increase from 2025's $2.23, indicating management's confidence in future profitability, which could further drive stock price appreciation.
- Hershey's Brand Integration: Hershey announced the integration of its Sweet, Salty, and Protein brands into a single portfolio to enhance marketing efficiency, with expected sales growth of 4% to 5% in 2026, which will help strengthen its competitive position in the market.
- Strong Market Performance: Hershey's stock has risen nearly 15% this year, while Archer-Daniels-Midland's stock is up 24%, demonstrating the resilience of consumer staples stocks amid economic uncertainty and attracting increased investor interest.
See More
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- Consumer Staples Performance: Amid increasing global economic uncertainty, consumer staples stocks have shown strong performance, with some rising over 10% year-to-date, demonstrating their resilience during economic slowdowns.
- Archer-Daniels-Midland: The company reported fourth-quarter revenues of $18.55 billion, down from last year, but projects earnings per share for 2026 to be between $3.60 and $4.25, indicating significant future growth potential, while also marking its 53rd consecutive year of dividend growth, qualifying it as a 'Dividend King'.
- Hershey Brand Integration: Hershey announced the integration of its sweet, salty, and protein brands into a single portfolio to leverage brand power and centralize marketing, with expected sales growth of 4% to 5% in 2026.
- Dividend Appeal: Both Archer-Daniels-Midland and Hershey offer dividend yields above the S&P 500's 1.15%, at 2.9% and 2.7% respectively, attracting investors seeking stable income.
See More
Reese's Launches 'Every Bracket Busts for a Reese's' Campaign
- Campaign Launch: Reese's kicked off the 'Every Bracket Busts for a Reese's' campaign on March 19, 2026, encouraging fans to share their busted brackets on social media for a chance to win Reese's chocolate or NCAA championship tickets, aiming to enhance brand engagement and consumer interaction.
- Star Participation: The campaign features basketball stars Andraya Carter, Breanna Stewart, and Richard Jefferson in discussions, leveraging their influence to attract more fans and further solidify Reese's brand image in the sports community.
- On-Site Events: During the 2026 NCAA Men's Final Four, Reese's will host on-site events in Times Square, NY, and Hershey, PA, where the first 500 participants showing their busted brackets will receive a free Reese's King Size Peanut Butter Cup, enhancing the brand's experiential marketing.
- Marketing Strategy: As an official NCAA partner, Reese's combines social media and on-site activities to boost brand visibility and attract new customers, while collaborating with media outlets like Barstool Sports to expand its influence throughout the March Madness tournament.
See More
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- Significant Reduction: Readystate Asset Management sold 361,224 shares of Workiva in Q4 2025, with an estimated transaction value of $31.98 million, reflecting the fund's strategic response to market volatility.
- Decline in Position Value: The quarter-end value of Workiva holdings decreased by $31.09 million, indicating a dual impact from both stock price fluctuations and the share sale, suggesting a potential decline in market confidence towards the company.
- Change in Holdings Proportion: Post-sale, Readystate holds only 10,000 shares of Workiva valued at $862,500, which constitutes 0.03% of its AUM, thus removing Workiva from the fund's top five holdings, highlighting a significant shift in investment strategy.
- Uncertain Market Outlook: Although Workiva's price-to-sales ratio has fallen below 4, indicating potential valuation attractiveness, the impact of AI models on SaaS business models raises uncertainties about future investment returns, necessitating cautious evaluation by investors.
See More
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- Share Reduction Details: Readystate Asset Management LP disclosed a reduction of 361,224 shares in Workiva during Q4 2025, with an estimated transaction value of $31.98 million, reflecting a significant decline in confidence as the holding's value dropped by $31.09 million, indicating negative market sentiment towards Workiva.
- Ownership Percentage Shift: As of December 31, 2025, Readystate's stake in Workiva decreased to 0.03%, highlighting a substantial reduction in its significance within the asset management portfolio, which may affect investor attention towards the company.
- Market Performance Analysis: As of February 17, 2026, Workiva shares were priced at $58.00, down 35.4% year-over-year and underperforming the S&P 500 by 46.8 percentage points, indicating a lack of competitive strength in the market that could influence future investment decisions.
- Investor Outlook: Readystate nearly liquidated its entire position in Workiva in Q4 2025, retaining only 10,000 shares, suggesting a significant loss of confidence in the SaaS stock, which may impact Workiva's future financing capabilities and market positioning.
See More
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- Business Model Innovation: Hershey officially launched its unified U.S. commercial operating model, ONE Hershey, on Monday, aiming to enhance the commercial capabilities of U.S. confection brands by integrating sweet, salty, and protein brands for faster customer collaboration and execution.
- Product Innovation Boost: ONE Hershey will introduce more innovations and new flavors for consumers, such as Reese’s Oreo, which is expected to enhance market competitiveness by diversifying product offerings to meet varied consumer demands.
- Leadership Adjustments: Starting March 16, the leadership structure will remain largely unchanged, but responsibilities will be updated, with Andrew Archambault overseeing commercial planning and execution, thereby strengthening operational efficiency.
- Strategic Team Expansion: Nitin Jain joins the executive team reporting directly to CEO Kirk Tanner, while Stacy Taffet expands her role to oversee demand creation capabilities, reflecting the company's focus on market growth and strategic realignment.
See More
