Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Raised to $188.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price boosted by research analysts at DA Davidson from $171.00 to $188.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. DA Davidson’s target price suggests a potential upside of 0.35% from the stock’s previous close. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Hershey’s Q3 2025 earnings at $1.01 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $5.89 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.40 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Hershey from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $178.00 to $175.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Hershey from $135.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Hershey from $175.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and sixteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $169.68.

Hershey Trading Down 0.7%

Hershey stock traded down $1.25 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $187.34. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,977,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,866,001. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $172.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.96 billion, a PE ratio of 24.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.56 and a beta of 0.27. Hershey has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $208.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $2.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.36% and a net margin of 13.54%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 26.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.27 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, insider Rohit Grover sold 1,334 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $240,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 38,068 shares in the company, valued at $6,852,240. This represents a 3.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michele Buck sold 19,290 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.00, for a total transaction of $3,742,260.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 193,624 shares in the company, valued at $37,563,056. This represents a 9.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 118,311 shares of company stock worth $20,931,348. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Montag & Caldwell LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Proffitt & Goodson Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey during the first quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth $28,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; protein bars; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.