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General Mills would pay more dividend income than Hershey over the next 10 years, even if it never raises its payout. A $10,000 investment in General Mills yields 7.7%, or $770 a year, against 3.7% at Hershey. At each company's five-year dividend growth rate, $10,000 in General Mills pays about $9,181 over 10 years, against about $6,403 for Hershey. Hershey raised its dividend 11.7% a year from fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2025; General Mills raised its by 3.9% a year from fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2026. General Mills' chief financial officer said on September 23 that the company expects to hold its dividend flat in the near term while it pays down debt. Net debt is 3.7x EBITDA, above its 3x target, and it paid out 85% of free cash flow as dividends over the latest twelve months. Hershey's payout is 50%, with net debt at 1.8x EBITDA.

Simply Wall St has picked three defensive dividend stocks for income investors, after investor Ray Dalio warned of a potential US debt "death spiral." The screen's full list includes 34 more large US dividend payers. Ingredion (INGR), a supplier of starches and sweeteners, has a market cap of $6.1 billion. Its largest segment is Texture & Healthful Solutions, at about $2.5 billion in revenue. National Fuel Gas (NFG), a natural gas utility and pipeline operator, has a market cap of $7.5 billion. Nearly $30 million of added expansion revenue is due to begin in fiscal 2027. Hershey has a market cap of $33.0 billion and earns about $9.8 billion from North America Confectionery. A 2025 cocoa shock cut its GAAP earnings per share by roughly 60%, largely through non-cash hedge losses.

Hershey changes Reese's Pumpkins packaging after lawsuit over design. The Hershey Co. has added a new disclaimer to Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins following a legal battle over claims that images on the packaging did not match the actual candy. Packages of the seasonal treat now feature the words "Carving not on actual product" next to an image of the pumpkin-shaped Reese's with jack-o'-lantern-style eyes and a mouth, according to product images on the official Hersheyland website. The disclaimer appears in small text on the front and back of the packaging. It replaces previous language that read, "Decorating Suggestion," according to court documents. HERSHEY TO RETURN TO CLASSIC REESE'S RECIPE AFTER FOUNDER'S GRANDSON CRITICIZES BRAND FOX Business reached out to The Hershey Co. for comment. The change comes after Hershey won the dismissal of a proposed class-action lawsuit brought by two Florida consumers. They alleged they were misled because the Reese's pumpkins they bought did not include the decorative carvings pictured on the packaging, Reuters reported last month. U.S. District Judge Melissa Damian in Miami ruled that plaintiffs Nathan Vidal and Eduardo Granados lacked legal standing to claim they overpaid for the candy. The plaintiffs said they bought the Reese's candy for the "novelty" of its "cool and beautiful carved-out designs." GRANDSON OF REESE'S INVENTOR BLASTS HERSHEY OVER ALLEGED RECIPE CHANGES: 'I THREW IT IN THE GARBAGE' "Accepting plaintiffs' allegations as true, it is clear that their only injury is their subjective disappointment," Damian wrote. "Plaintiffs do not allege that the Hershey's Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkins that they purchased were defective or worthless or that they lost all economic value because of the absence of the decorative carvings." Damian also rejected their argument that they paid as much as 25% more for the products. Hershey had argued in court filings that its packaging described the pictured carvings as a "decorating suggestion," Reuters reported. James Kelly, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said his clients were disappointed with the ruling and planned to appeal. "Consumers in Florida deserve to get what they pay for, and it is troubling to see them left without protection," he said. POPULAR REESE'S, ALMOND JOY ICE CREAM BARS RECALLED OVER LABELING ERROR Damian also dismissed an earlier version of the lawsuit last September, according to Reuters. Hershey recently rolled out more than 20 Halloween-themed products ahead of the holiday. Reuters contributed to this report.