Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Evercore ISI Analyst Says

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective increased by investment analysts at Evercore ISI from $215.00 to $250.00 in a research note issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has an “in-line” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI’s target price indicates a potential upside of 8.17% from the stock’s current price.

HSY has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $236.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $238.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $218.21.

Hershey Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of HSY stock opened at $231.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.19. The company has a market capitalization of $46.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.25 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey has a 52-week low of $150.04 and a 52-week high of $234.43. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $189.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $185.93.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its 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 firm had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The company’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hershey news, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $186.19 per share, for a total transaction of $37,238.00. Following the purchase, the insider owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. This represents a 2.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey News Roundup

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.