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

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price hoisted by Evercore ISI from $215.00 to $250.00 in a research note published on Friday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have an in-line rating on the stock.

HSY has been the subject of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday. Finally, DA Davidson set a $243.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $218.21.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE HSY opened at $231.11 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $46.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.25 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $189.69 and a 200 day simple moving average of $185.90. 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.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue 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 predict that Hershey will post 6.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.91%.

Insider Activity at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.67, for a total value of $298,005.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kirk Tanner purchased 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,000 shares of company stock worth $1,119,450. Corporate insiders own 0.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at about $224,000. Liberty One Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 32.4% in the third quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 38,076 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,122,000 after buying an additional 9,309 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.8% during the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 58,078 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,695,000 after buying an additional 2,659 shares during the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its position in shares of Hershey by 6.4% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 42,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,957,000 after acquiring an additional 2,573 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CORDA Investment Management LLC. raised its holdings in Hershey by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 113,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $21,276,000 after acquiring an additional 7,064 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey News Roundup

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

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.