Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $215.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target cut by Stifel Nicolaus from $230.00 to $215.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a hold rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on HSY. BTIG Research initiated coverage on Hershey in a report on Monday, April 13th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $230.00 to $211.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hershey has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $223.83.

Hershey Stock Performance

HSY stock opened at $192.15 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.95 billion, a PE ratio of 44.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $213.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $196.88. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $150.04 and a fifty-two week high of $239.48.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its 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 return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The company had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.97 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Analysts forecast that Hershey will post 8.38 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $1.452 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 17th. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 133.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $452,140.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 41,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,277,008.52. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. This represents a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,189,090. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Syon Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Hershey by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co raised its holdings in Hershey by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 6,796 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,237,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Hershey by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,561 shares of the company’s stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Venture Visionary Partners LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Venture Visionary Partners LLC now owns 8,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,462,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $559,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reaffirmed a “buy” on HSY, providing support from a major bank and signaling conviction in Hershey’s medium-term outlook. The Hershey Company (HSY) Gets a Buy from Goldman Sachs
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey is reshaping its sustainability strategy; management says progress has been made but more work remains — a long-term positive for brand and ESG-focused investors if execution continues. Why Hershey is making big changes to its sustainability strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO Steven Voskuil sold 1,500 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan; planned insider sales reduce the alarm factor but remain a reminder to watch insider activity. Insider Selling: Hershey (NYSE:HSY) CFO Sells 1,500 Shares of Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target from $247 to $227 but kept an “overweight” rating, which supports the stock technically while trimming upside expectations. Morgan Stanley price target note
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel issued a “hold” on HSY (and a separate piece flagged a pessimistic forecast), reflecting mixed broker sentiment and consensus caution among analysts. Stifel Hold on Hershey
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and previews (Zacks / Yahoo) expect a decline in upcoming quarterly earnings and note Hershey lacks the drivers that historically produce surprise beats — this raises near-term downside risk if results miss. Analysts Estimate Hershey (HSY) to Report a Decline in Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan and other outlets have lowered expectations or issued cautious notes, contributing to a cluster of analyst downgrades/price-target trims that can pressure sentiment ahead of the earnings report. JPMorgan lowers expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Broader commentary on consumer staples notes the sector has lagged growth stocks; if investors rotate back into growth, staples like Hershey could underperform near-term. 3 Consumer Stocks We Think Twice About

About Hershey

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.