Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Given New $250.00 Price Target at Evercore

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective upped by Evercore from $215.00 to $250.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has an in-line rating on the stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Piper Sandler set a $213.00 price objective on shares of Hershey and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Hershey from $204.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. Bank of America boosted their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, January 26th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.21.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of Hershey stock 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. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Hershey has a 12 month low of $150.04 and a 12 month high of $234.43. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $189.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $185.90.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm 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 forecast that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders 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 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This is a positive change from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is currently 81.91%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total value of $298,005.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 52,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,394,215.73. This trade represents a 2.79% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,119,450. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HSY. Norges Bank bought a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth about $234,386,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 240.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,262,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,183,000 after acquiring an additional 891,287 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $125,868,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 121.2% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,104,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,559,000 after purchasing an additional 605,048 shares during the period. Finally, Equity Investment Corp purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $73,706,000. 57.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey News Summary

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

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.