Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective decreased by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $190.00 to $170.00 in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target points to a potential upside of 5.70% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on HSY. DA Davidson set a $190.00 price objective on Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $201.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $206.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Evercore set a $225.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.67.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY opened at $160.84 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $32.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.10. Hershey has a 12 month low of $156.16 and a 12 month high of $239.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $175.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $183.71.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a return on equity of 31.92% and a net margin of 12.24%.The firm had revenue of $2.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.21 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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, research analysts expect that Hershey will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Prudential PLC raised its stake in shares of Hershey by 237.3% during the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 7,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,454,000 after purchasing an additional 5,620 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Hershey by 126.4% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 84,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,508,000 after acquiring an additional 47,017 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Hershey by 125.9% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 196,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,447,000 after acquiring an additional 109,418 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter valued at $62,664,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 2nd quarter valued at about $274,871,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hershey Company Profile

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

Hershey’s portfolio includes chocolate, candy, gum, mints, protein bars and salty snacks. Its well-known brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kisses, Kit Kat, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot’s.