Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective increased by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $191.00 to $193.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 10.74% from the stock’s previous close.

HSY has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $240.00 price target on Hershey in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings downgraded Hershey from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $201.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.61.

Hershey Price Performance

NYSE:HSY traded down $2.95 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $174.28. 874,998 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,023,670. The company has a market capitalization of $35.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey has a 12 month low of $161.43 and a 12 month high of $239.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $179.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $196.85.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a return on equity of 28.98% and a net margin of 9.12%.The company had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Hershey will post 8.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,067,235 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,469,855,000 after purchasing an additional 191,671 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its stake in Hershey by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 9,106,431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,657,189,000 after buying an additional 169,660 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in Hershey by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,253,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,356,681,000 after buying an additional 128,982 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Hershey by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,315,653 shares of the company’s stock worth $967,343,000 after buying an additional 124,464 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,831,101 shares of the company’s stock valued at $876,434,000 after buying an additional 104,024 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Hershey News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey reported second-quarter revenue of $2.79 billion, up 6.6% year over year and ahead of the $2.63 billion analyst consensus. Adjusted EPS of $1.90 exceeded estimates of approximately $1.43, supported by pricing, margin recovery and supply-chain improvements. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Management tightened its 2026 outlook, forecasting sales growth of roughly 4.5% to 5% and reported EPS growth of 82% to 89%, while maintaining full-year EPS guidance of $8.36 to $8.52. The company said it is entering the second half with momentum. Hershey second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: North America Salty Snacks sales increased 22.9% to $387.8 million, helped by the LesserEvil acquisition, while Reese’s and Dot’s Pretzels continued to show solid demand. Management also sees potential cocoa-cost relief in 2027. Hershey earnings call highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Hershey’s board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per common share, unchanged from the prior payment and representing an annualized yield of about 3.3%. Hershey dividend announcement
• Negative Sentiment: The sales beat relied heavily on a 12% price increase, while volumes fell approximately 8%. Investors are concerned that elevated prices could weaken consumer demand and limit Hershey’s pricing power, particularly in North American confectionery.
• Negative Sentiment: Hershey continues to navigate cocoa-price volatility, supply-chain issues in salty snacks and a cautious consumer environment. Brokerages maintain a consensus “Hold” view, reflecting uncertainty over whether margin gains can offset weaker volumes.

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.