Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target increased by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $182.00 to $220.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 4.81% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $188.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.21.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $231.11 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.87 billion, a PE ratio of 53.25 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey has a 1 year low of $150.04 and a 1 year high of $234.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $189.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $185.93.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total transaction of $298,005.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 52,319 shares in the company, valued at $10,394,215.73. This trade represents a 2.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average price of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,119,450 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 1,537.5% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Hershey

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.