Morgan Stanley Raises Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $247.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price objective raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $238.00 to $247.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price suggests a potential upside of 12.11% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $267.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $222.68.

Hershey Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE HSY traded up $3.24 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $220.33. 501,606 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,993,806. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19. Hershey has a 52-week low of $150.04 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $210.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.66 billion, a PE ratio of 50.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.14.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. Analysts forecast that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hershey

In other news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $219.66, for a total transaction of $329,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 50,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,162,901.54. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $452,140.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,153,645 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSY. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at $272,506,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in Hershey by 546.6% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,057,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $192,439,000 after buying an additional 893,940 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Hershey by 240.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,262,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,183,000 after buying an additional 891,287 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Hershey by 150.1% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,278,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,731,000 after acquiring an additional 767,478 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 121.2% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,104,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $206,559,000 after acquiring an additional 605,048 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

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.