Brokerages Set Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Price Target at $204.78

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Aug 28th, 2026

Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-three research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $204.7778.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HSY. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Hershey from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $191.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $201.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Hershey

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,043,150. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Hershey in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Stock Down 2.4%

HSY stock opened at $180.99 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $179.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $194.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 1.18. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $161.43 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.72, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.11.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a net margin of 12.24% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The company had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 8.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 79.23%.

About Hershey

(Get Free Report)

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.