Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target Lowered to $215.00 at UBS Group

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective reduced by UBS Group from $236.00 to $215.00 in a report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

HSY has been the subject of several other research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. DA Davidson set a $243.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Stephens lifted their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $222.21.

Hershey Trading Down 2.4%

Shares of HSY stock opened at $202.80 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $216.18 and a 200-day moving average of $195.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Hershey has a 12-month low of $150.04 and a 12-month high of $239.48. The firm has a market cap of $41.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.73, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.18.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is 133.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,277,008.52. This represents a 4.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,195,945 in the last quarter. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 1,537.5% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth $26,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Hershey News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey announced it will revert to the original Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups recipe after consumer and family backlash—good PR and likely to calm a high‑profile brand risk. Hershey’s brings back original Reese’s recipe
• Positive Sentiment: Investors welcomed the company reaffirming its FY2026 outlook at investor day, which supports near‑term earnings cadence and helped initial buying interest. Hershey stock eyes rebound after reaffirming 2026 outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Management laid out a multi‑year strategy to “lead next‑generation snacking” (salty and better‑for‑you categories, supply‑chain modernization). These are positive strategically but are longer‑term execution stories that may not immediately move the needle. Hershey Unveils Strategy to Lead Next Generation Snacking
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor day produced detailed commentary and an analyst transcript for review—useful for modeling but will take time to translate into forecast changes. Analyst/Investor Day Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts reacted by trimming expectations: UBS cut its price target to $215 and moved to Neutral, and Deutsche Bank lowered its expectations—pressure on sentiment and near‑term technicals. UBS lowers HSY price target
• Negative Sentiment: Market action shows selling pressure: the stock is trading down on higher-than-average volume after the investor day, suggesting some profit-taking given HSY’s rich valuation (high P/E). Hershey (HSY) Stock Dips While Market Gains
• Negative Sentiment: Management flagged that the broader recovery will take time—investors may be discounting longer timelines for margin recovery as cocoa and input dynamics normalize. Hershey outlook flags longer-term recovery

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.