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

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

HSY has been the topic of several other research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $267.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. Argus raised Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Piper Sandler set a $213.00 target price on Hershey and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research raised Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $238.00 price target on Hershey in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.21.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY opened at $231.11 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $189.69 and its 200 day moving average is $185.95. Hershey has a 12-month low of $150.04 and a 12-month high of $234.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market cap of $46.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.18.

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

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a $1.452 dividend. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey’s payout ratio is presently 126.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total transaction of $298,005.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,394,215.73. This trade represents a 2.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Stacy Taffet purchased 200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,786.49. The trade was a 2.18% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,119,450 in the last quarter. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HSY. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its position in Hershey by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $559,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. BSW Wealth Partners lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. BSW Wealth Partners now owns 1,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $283,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hershey News Summary

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

About Hershey

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.