Jefferies Financial Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective increased by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $185.00 to $207.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 2.75% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on HSY. Evercore ISI reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Zacks Research raised shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler set a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Hershey from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $194.84.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $201.47 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $40.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.11 and a beta of 0.18. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $187.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $185.11. Hershey has a 52 week low of $140.13 and a 52 week high of $204.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total value of $298,005.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,394,215.73. This trade represents a 2.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450 over the last three months. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth $224,000. Liberty One Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Hershey by 32.4% during the third quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 38,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,122,000 after buying an additional 9,309 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Hershey by 4.8% during the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 58,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,695,000 after acquiring an additional 2,659 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance grew its holdings in Hershey by 6.4% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 42,538 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,957,000 after acquiring an additional 2,573 shares during the period. Finally, CORDA Investment Management LLC. raised its position in Hershey by 6.6% in the third quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 113,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,276,000 after acquiring an additional 7,064 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Hershey News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Jefferies raised their price target to $207 (neutral rating), signaling modest upside and supporting investor confidence. Jefferies Raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson also lifted its price target to $207 (neutral rating), reinforcing the view that valuation upside exists around current levels. DA Davidson Raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey announced an Investor Day for March 31, 2026 — a chance for management to lay out strategy, targets and margin/rationalization plans that could drive medium-term sentiment. Investor Day Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: New seasonal product launches (Easter collection including Jolly Rancher Gummies and expanded Cadbury/Reese’s SKUs) support near-term sales and merchandising momentum into the holiday period. Easter Product Rollout
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary from Zacks lists Hershey among consumer-staple names positioned to beat earnings, citing resilient demand, pricing discipline and easing cost pressures — a bullish catalyst ahead of results. Zacks Picks
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks published a Q4 earnings preview for Hershey that highlights key metrics investors should watch; this is informational ahead of the report and may temper surprises. Q4 Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Kalkine Media examines Hershey’s role in the consumer staples portion of the S&P 500 — useful context for index-driven flows but not an immediate catalyst. Kalkine S&P 500 Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks piece on consumer staples earnings watchers notes margin pressure and cautious consumers across the group — a sector-level headwind that investors will weigh against Hershey-specific positives. Consumer Staples Earnings Context
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $185 price target, implying downside versus current levels and creating a countervailing analyst voice. RBC Reaffirmation

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a leading North American chocolatier and snack manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The company develops, produces and markets a wide range of confectionery and snack products for retail, foodservice and international customers. Hershey’s business spans manufacturing, branded product marketing, packaging and distribution across grocery, convenience, mass merchant and e-commerce channels.

Hershey’s product portfolio centers on chocolate and sugar confectionery, including core brands such as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Twizzlers, alongside non-chocolate snacks and confectionery brands.