Cover and table of contents

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Cover and table of contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

☒ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025

OR

☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to_

Commission file number 1-183

hershey logo.jpg

THE HERSHEY COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware23-0691590
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

19 East Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, PA 17033

(Address of principal executive offices and Zip Code)

(717) 534-4200

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

Title of each classTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, one dollar par valueHSYNew York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Class B Common Stock, one dollar par value

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer☒Accelerated filer☐Non-accelerated filer☐Smaller reporting company☐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. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

As of June 27, 2025 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates was $24,680,833,539. Class B Common Stock is not listed for public trading on any exchange or market system. However, Class B shares are convertible into shares of Common Stock at any time on a share-for-share basis. Determination of aggregate market value assumes all outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock held by non-affiliates were converted to Common Stock as of June 27, 2025. The market value indicated is calculated based on the closing price of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on June 27, 2025 ($166.99 per share).

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

Common Stock, one dollar par value—148,077,438 shares, as of February 12, 2026.

Class B Common Stock, one dollar par value—54,613,514 shares, as of February 12, 2026.

a

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Company’s Proxy Statement for the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

THE HERSHEY COMPANY

Annual Report on Form 10-K

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2025

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I
Item 1.Business2
Item 1A.Risk Factors9
Item 1B.Unresolved Staff Comments16
Item 1C.Cybersecurity16
Item 2.Properties18
Item 3.Legal Proceedings18
Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures18
Supplemental ItemInformation About Our Executive Officers19
PART II
Item 5.Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities20
Item 6.[Reserved]21
Item 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations22
Item 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk43
Item 8.Financial Statements and Supplementary Data47
Item 9.Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure101
Item 9A.Controls and Procedures101
Item 9B.Other Information103
Item 9C.Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections103
PART III
Item 10.Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance104
Item 11.Executive Compensation104
Item 12.Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters104
Item 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence105
Item 14.Principal Accountant Fees and Services105
PART IV
Item 15.Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules106
Item 16.Form 10-K Summary109
Signatures110
Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts111

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the exhibits hereto and the information incorporated by reference herein, contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 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. Forward-looking statements are predictions only and actual results could differ materially from management’s expectations due to a variety of factors, including those described below in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and in Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons working on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by such risk factors. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not rely on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. The forward-looking statements that we make in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are based on management’s current views and assumptions regarding future events and speak only as of their dates. We assume no obligation to update developments of these risk factors or to announce publicly any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements that we make, or to make corrections to reflect future events or developments, except as required by the federal securities laws.

Table of ContentsThe Hershey Company | 2025 Form 10-K | Page 1Kiss_Logo.jpg

PART I

Next: Item 1. BUSINESS