JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price

Posted by on Oct 30th, 2026

Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) had its price objective reduced by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $183.00 to $166.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 0.09% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on HSY. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Evercore boosted their target price on Hershey from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $178.00 target price (down from $190.00) on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.24.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on HSY

Hershey Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $5.57 on Friday, reaching $165.85. The company had a trading volume of 2,261,559 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,847,439. The firm has a market cap of $33.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $169.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $189.03. Hershey has a 1 year low of $156.16 and a 1 year high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.53. The company had revenue of $3.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.25 billion. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%. Hershey’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Hershey will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the second quarter valued at about $2,303,889,000. GQG Partners LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $485,436,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $274,871,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $183,623,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 315.4% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,083,675 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,285,000 after purchasing an additional 822,772 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hershey News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Hershey reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.64 per share, well above the roughly $2.11–$2.12 consensus estimate, while revenue of $3.28 billion also exceeded expectations and rose 3% year over year. Hershey Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
  • Positive Sentiment: Pricing gains, cost relief and tariff refunds drove a sharp increase in quarterly profit, prompting Hershey to raise its 2026 earnings outlook. The stronger results provide support for the stock despite volume weakness. HSY Q3 Earnings Top Estimates on Cost Relief and Pricing Gains
  • Positive Sentiment: Management maintained its 2027 sales-growth target of 2% to 4% and highlighted a substantially larger innovation pipeline and productivity initiatives as longer-term growth drivers. Hershey Targets 2027 Sales Growth
  • Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per common share, equivalent to $5.81 annually and a yield of approximately 3.6%, supporting the income-investment case. Hershey Declares Quarterly Dividends
  • Neutral Sentiment: Some market commentary characterizes HSY as a long-term momentum stock, but these assessments are based largely on quantitative ranking factors rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Why Hershey Is a Top Momentum Stock
  • Negative Sentiment: Hershey reduced its 2026 organic-sales outlook as high prices, inflation, interest rates and gasoline costs pressure shoppers. Convenience-store candy sales fell 5% in September, and management said the final days of Halloween are critical. Hershey Warns Financial Pressures Could Weigh on Halloween Spending
  • Negative Sentiment: Higher cocoa and sugar costs are creating margin risk, while consumers are trading down to smaller candy packages. TD Cowen downgraded HSY to “hold” and cut its price target to $173 from $198; BNP Paribas Exane also reduced its target. Halloween Gets Pricier as Chocolate Costs Rise

About Hershey

(Get Free Report)

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a global confectionery and snack food manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894, the company began as a chocolate producer and has grown into one of the largest branded snack businesses in North America.

Hershey’s portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, gum and mints, and salty snacks. Its brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Kit Kat in the United States under license from Nestlé, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot’s Pretzels.

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