Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Given New $211.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price reduced by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $230.00 to $211.00 in a report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $249.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Stephens boosted their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $225.78.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HSY opened at $191.74 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $215.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $197.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.86 billion, a PE ratio of 44.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey has a 1 year low of $150.04 and a 1 year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 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 revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Hershey will post 8.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.452 dividend. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.87%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.71, for a total value of $325,065.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 59,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,974,210.99. This represents a 2.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 8,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,897,940 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Syon Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,237,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $559,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

About Hershey

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.