Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Reaches New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) reached a new 52-week high on Monday after Evercore ISI raised their price target on the stock from $215.00 to $250.00. Evercore ISI currently has an in-line rating on the stock. Hershey traded as high as $234.87 and last traded at $232.90, with a volume of 522380 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $231.53.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on HSY. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler set a $213.00 target price on shares of Hershey and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, DA Davidson set a $243.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $218.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In related news, CEO Kirk Tanner purchased 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the transaction, 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. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total value of $298,005.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 52,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,394,215.73. The trade was a 2.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Hershey News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market rotation back into defensive, cash‑generative names is supporting demand for consumer staples like Hershey; Barron’s highlights Hershey among recent “new darlings” as AI faded from favor. How Hershey, United Airlines, and Others Unseated AI to Become the New Stock Market Darlings
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added HSY to its top income picks (Zacks Rank #1), which can attract yield‑seeking investors given Hershey’s larger dividend this year. Best Income Stocks to Buy for February 9th
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks research also flags Hershey as benefiting from the market’s shift toward earnings stability and cash flow, reinforcing the defensive case. Take the Zacks Approach to Beat the Markets: Hershey’s, Fastenal, Kennametal in Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey is paying a larger dividend than a year ago, supporting the income story for long‑term holders. Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Is Paying Out A Larger Dividend Than Last Year
• Positive Sentiment: At least one outlet reported a higher price target ($220), which can provide trading support. Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Raised to $220.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Press coverage and analyst notes continue to review Hershey’s consumer‑goods positioning; these commentaries provide context but no clear consensus signal. Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Goods Companies: Coursera (COUR) and The Hershey Company (HSY)
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintaining a Hold rating is a neutral-to-cautious signal that can limit upside momentum until analysts update views. Wells Fargo Keeps Their Hold Rating on The Hershey Company (HSY)
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analysis argues the post‑earnings jump may not be sustainable given stretched valuation, signaling potential for profit‑taking. Hershey: The Reasons Why The Post‑Earnings Jump Is Not Sustainable
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage of analyst skepticism notes that despite year‑to‑date outperformance, many analysts remain cautious—this can cap gains if upgrades don’t follow. Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting Hershey Stock Will Climb or Sink?

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HSY. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in Hershey by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 6,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,158,000 after purchasing an additional 669 shares in the last quarter. Connecticut Capital Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter valued at about $278,000. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 47.8% in the fourth quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 127,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,206,000 after buying an additional 41,241 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Hershey by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,831,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $876,434,000 after acquiring an additional 104,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its position in Hershey by 78.7% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 9,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,718,000 after acquiring an additional 4,158 shares during the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $190.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $186.28. The company has a market cap of $46.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.18.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Hershey Company will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be 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 is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 126.27%.

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.