Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Raised to $220.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price hoisted by Wells Fargo & Company from $182.00 to $220.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on HSY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Argus raised shares of Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. 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, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.21.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $231.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19. Hershey has a 52 week low of $150.04 and a 52 week high of $234.43. The firm has a market cap of $46.87 billion, a PE ratio of 53.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $189.69 and its 200-day moving average is $185.95.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In other news, CEO Kirk Tanner acquired 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,394,215.73. This represents a 2.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,119,450 in the last quarter. 0.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Liberty One Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 32.4% in the 3rd quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 38,076 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,122,000 after buying an additional 9,309 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Hershey by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 58,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,695,000 after buying an additional 2,659 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.4% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Finally, CORDA Investment Management LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.6% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Hershey News

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.