Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Given New $260.00 Price Target at Stephens

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective upped by Stephens from $200.00 to $260.00 in a research note published on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

HSY has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Piper Sandler set a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $238.00 price objective on Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $220.30.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY stock opened at $226.28 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $193.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $187.15. Hershey has a 52-week low of $150.04 and a 52-week high of $234.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.14, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.69 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 126.27%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hershey news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total transaction of $298,005.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,319 shares in the company, valued at $10,394,215.73. The trade was a 2.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stacy Taffet purchased 200 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,786.49. The trade was a 2.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 123.0% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.