Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Hershey has a consensus “Hold” rating: Sixteen of 23 analysts rate the stock a hold and seven recommend buying it, with an average 12-month price target of approximately $208.28.
• Quarterly results beat expectations: Sales rose 6.6% year over year to $2.79 billion, while EPS of $1.90 exceeded the $1.43 consensus estimate. Management narrowed 2026 guidance to $12.2–$12.3 billion in revenue and $8.36–$8.52 in EPS.
• Pricing supported growth but volumes weakened: Sales benefited from roughly 12% higher prices, while volumes declined about 8%; cocoa-price volatility, supply-chain issues and demand pressure remain key risks. Hershey maintained its $1.452 quarterly dividend, yielding about 3.3%.

Shares of Hershey Company (The) (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty-three brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $208.2778.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HSY. Zacks Research lowered shares of Hershey from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Hershey from $220.00 to $208.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Evercore set a $225.00 target price on Hershey in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, TD Cowen raised Hershey from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $210.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $177.16 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $35.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.11. Hershey has a twelve month low of $161.43 and a twelve month high of $239.48. The company's fifty day moving average is $179.54 and its 200 day moving average is $196.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.47. Hershey had a net margin of 9.12% and a return on equity of 28.98%. The business had revenue of $2.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.21 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.360-8.520 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hershey will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.452 per share. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Hershey's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.19%.

Key Hershey News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey reported second-quarter sales of $2.79 billion, up 6.6% year over year and above the $2.63 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $1.90 exceeded expectations of approximately $1.43-$1.45 and rose sharply from $1.21 a year earlier. Hershey reports higher Q2 sales, earnings; tightens 2026 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Higher prices, margin recovery and strength in Reese’s, Dot’s Pretzels and the LesserEvil acquisition helped offset softer consumption. North America Salty Snacks sales increased 22.9%, while North America Confectionery sales rose 4.2%. Hershey beats quarterly sales estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised the lower end of its full-year outlook and narrowed 2026 guidance to approximately $12.2-$12.3 billion in revenue and $8.36-$8.52 in EPS, signaling confidence in the second-half recovery. Cocoa-cost deflation could also improve profitability in 2027. Hershey lifts bottom end of full-year growth outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Hershey maintained its quarterly common-stock dividend at $1.452 per share, payable September 15 to shareholders of record August 14. The dividend provides an annualized yield of roughly 3.3%, but the lack of an increase offers no new catalyst. Hershey Keeps Its Dividend Steady
• Negative Sentiment: Sales growth was driven primarily by a roughly 12% pricing increase, while volumes fell about 8%. Investors may view this mix as a warning that higher prices are weakening demand and may become harder to sustain. Hershey Q2 2026 earnings beat, raises annual outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Supply-chain challenges in salty snacks and ongoing exposure to volatile cocoa prices remain risks, while the company’s outlook excludes potential future tariff rebates. A recent CFO share sale was conducted under a prearranged 10b5-1 plan, making it a limited but potentially negative sentiment factor.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total transaction of $255,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,043,150. The trade was a 2.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Hershey during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in Hershey during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hershey in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Institutional investors 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.

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