Hershey (HSY) – Research Analysts’ Recent Ratings Updates

A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of Hershey (NYSE: HSY) recently:

• 4/14/2026 – Hershey had its price target lowered by Barclays PLC from $240.00 to $225.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
• 4/13/2026 – Hershey is now covered by BTIG Research. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 4/7/2026 – Hershey was downgraded by Zacks Research from “strong-buy” to “hold”.
• 4/1/2026 – Hershey had its price target lowered by UBS Group AG from $236.00 to $215.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 3/30/2026 – Hershey had its price target lowered by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $212.00 to $200.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
• 3/16/2026 – Hershey had its price target raised by Morgan Stanley from $238.00 to $247.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 2/25/2026 – Hershey had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by Piper Sandler. They now have a $249.00 price target on the stock.
• 2/24/2026 – Hershey had its price target raised by Mizuho from $165.00 to $195.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.452 per share. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 133.64%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.71, for a total transaction of $325,065.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 59,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,974,210.99. The trade was a 2.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,277,008.52. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,195,945 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

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.