Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Gets Price Target Reduction from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its price target lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $183.00 to $166.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on HSY. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $194.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on Hershey from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Hershey from $249.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hershey from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Friday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $195.24.

Hershey Price Performance

HSY opened at $165.85 on Friday. Hershey has a 52-week low of $156.16 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company has a market cap of $33.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.08. The company has a 50 day moving average of $169.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $189.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.11 by $0.53. Hershey had a return on equity of 37.12% and a net margin of 14.63%. The business had revenue of $3.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.25 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.30 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Hershey will post 8.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.4520 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.72%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in Hershey in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hershey during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial bought a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.64 per share, well above the roughly $2.11–$2.12 consensus estimate, while revenue of $3.28 billion also exceeded expectations and rose 3% year over year. Hershey Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Pricing gains, cost relief and tariff refunds drove a sharp increase in quarterly profit, prompting Hershey to raise its 2026 earnings outlook. The stronger results provide support for the stock despite volume weakness. HSY Q3 Earnings Top Estimates on Cost Relief and Pricing Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Management maintained its 2027 sales-growth target of 2% to 4% and highlighted a substantially larger innovation pipeline and productivity initiatives as longer-term growth drivers. Hershey Targets 2027 Sales Growth
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per common share, equivalent to $5.81 annually and a yield of approximately 3.6%, supporting the income-investment case. Hershey Declares Quarterly Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Some market commentary characterizes HSY as a long-term momentum stock, but these assessments are based largely on quantitative ranking factors rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Why Hershey Is a Top Momentum Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Hershey reduced its 2026 organic-sales outlook as high prices, inflation, interest rates and gasoline costs pressure shoppers. Convenience-store candy sales fell 5% in September, and management said the final days of Halloween are critical. Hershey Warns Financial Pressures Could Weigh on Halloween Spending
• Negative Sentiment: Higher cocoa and sugar costs are creating margin risk, while consumers are trading down to smaller candy packages. TD Cowen downgraded HSY to “hold” and cut its price target to $173 from $198; BNP Paribas Exane also reduced its target. Halloween Gets Pricier as Chocolate Costs Rise

Hershey Company Profile

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

Hershey’s portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, gum and mints, and salty snacks. Its brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Kit Kat in the United States under license from Nestlé, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot’s Pretzels.