Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Raised to $250.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target increased by Evercore from $215.00 to $250.00 in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has an in-line rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on HSY. Zacks Research upgraded Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Piper Sandler set a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.21.

Hershey Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $231.11 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.87 billion, a PE ratio of 53.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey has a 1 year low of $150.04 and a 1 year high of $234.43. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $189.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $185.95.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Analysts expect that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be issued a $1.452 dividend. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 126.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,876,115.60. This represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,119,450. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Hershey by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,067,235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,469,855,000 after acquiring an additional 191,671 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,253,041 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,356,681,000 after purchasing an additional 128,982 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,116,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $849,123,000 after purchasing an additional 125,100 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,567,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $755,305,000 after buying an additional 126,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,276,326 shares of the company’s stock worth $543,712,000 after buying an additional 144,640 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates and management raised FY‑2026 guidance (EPS 8.20–8.52, revenue ~ $12.2–12.3B), giving investors confidence in demand resilience and pricing power. Reuters: Hershey sees strong 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey raised its quarterly dividend by 6% (to $1.452/share), signaling management confidence and attracting income investors ahead of the ex‑dividend date. PR Newswire: Hershey Declares Quarterly Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets after the report — Evercore ISI lifted its target to $250 (in-line rating), and others followed with higher targets, supporting further upside narrative. The Fly: Evercore raises target
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reaction in cocoa futures — cocoa prices rose after Hershey’s upbeat outlook, reflecting eased demand concerns; this can be a mixed signal for margins vs. broader industry health. Barchart: Cocoa prices settle higher
• Neutral Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms reiterated Hold/Equal Weight but nudged up targets (Wells Fargo to $220, BofA to $240, TD Cowen to $210), indicating cautious optimism but not broad conviction to upgrade to Buy. Benzinga: Wells Fargo raises target
• Negative Sentiment: Margins remain under pressure from higher cocoa costs and tariffs; outlets highlighted that profit was dragged by these items even as top‑line and EPS beat. Continued commodity volatility is a downside risk to the earnings recovery. WSJ: Profit dragged by tariffs, cocoa costs
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentary cautioned that cocoa price volatility and cost/tariff risks could limit margin recovery, supporting Hold ratings for risk‑averse investors. TipRanks: Hold ratings due to cocoa volatility

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.