Evercore ISI Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective increased by investment analysts at Evercore ISI from $215.00 to $250.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday. The brokerage presently has an “in-line” rating on the stock. Evercore ISI’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 7.66% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America upped their target price on Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Hershey from $187.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $188.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler set a $213.00 target price on Hershey and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $202.61.

Hershey Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of Hershey stock traded up $7.84 on Friday, reaching $232.22. 217,384 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,980,620. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $150.04 and a fifty-two week high of $234.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.67 and a beta of 0.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $188.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $185.53.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 11.84% and a return on equity of 32.08%. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kirk Tanner acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $185.46 per share, for a total transaction of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. The trade was a 4.36% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,394,215.73. This trade represents a 2.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Hershey by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,310 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,618,000 after buying an additional 937 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Hershey during the second quarter worth about $128,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its holdings in Hershey by 4.0% during the second quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 7,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,175,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of Hershey by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 402,266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,756,000 after purchasing an additional 4,484 shares during the period. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 65.5% in the 2nd quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 3,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $649,000 after buying an additional 1,549 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and upgraded FY2026 guidance — HSY reported $1.71 EPS on $3.09B revenue (above consensus) and issued FY2026 EPS guidance of $8.20–$8.52 vs. Street ~7.08; management cited resilient demand and price realization driving the outlook. Hershey Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial Results; Provides 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike signals confidence — Board raised the quarterly dividend to $1.452 (6% increase), supporting income-focused investor interest heading into the ex-dividend date. Hershey Declares Quarterly Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Short-term technical/flow boost — Shares reached a 52-week high as investors rotated into HSY ahead of the dividend and after the upbeat outlook. This buying likely contributed to the intraday strength. The Hershey Company (HSY) Climbs to 52-Week High Ahead of Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts incremental but cautious — Several firms (Bank of America, TD Cowen, others) kept Hold/neutral ratings while raising price targets after the results; that suggests the beat helped sentiment but did not convert skeptics to strong buys. Hershey: Strong Earnings Momentum and Margin Recovery Potential Offset by Cocoa Volatility and Cost Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Cocoa volatility and rising cocoa futures — Hershey’s optimistic outlook helped lift cocoa futures as traders covered shorts, which increases the risk of higher commodity costs ahead and could pressure margins if prices stay elevated. Cocoa Prices Settle Sharply Higher as Demand Fears Ease
• Negative Sentiment: Tariffs and commodity costs still weigh on profitability — Coverage notes and the WSJ report highlight that tariffs and high cocoa costs trimmed Q4 profits; sustained cost pressure could limit margin recovery despite price increases. Hershey Profit Dragged Down by Tariffs, Cocoa Costs

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.