JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Price

Key Points

• JPMorgan cut its price target on Hershey from $211 to $204 and kept a "neutral" rating, reflecting a cautious view and implying roughly 12.1% upside from the prior close.
• Hershey posted a Q1 beat—EPS $2.35 vs. $2.04 and revenue $3.10B (up ~10.7% y/y)—but rising input, freight and tariff costs compressed margins, leaving the fundamental picture mixed.
• Shares traded down to $181.96 mid‑day; analysts' consensus is a Hold with an average price target of $222.89, while management noted growth in mints/gum tied to GLP‑1 trends and maintained the dividend (~3.1% yield).

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $211.00 to $204.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price suggests a potential upside of 12.11% from the stock's previous close.

HSY has been the topic of several other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Hershey from $212.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $249.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hershey in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho boosted their target price on Hershey from $165.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Hershey from $247.00 to $227.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $222.89.

Hershey Price Performance

Shares of HSY traded down $3.78 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $181.96. 945,866 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,000,546. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $36.88 billion, a PE ratio of 41.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.18. Hershey has a 52-week low of $150.04 and a 52-week high of $239.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $210.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $196.68.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.04 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 7.55% and a return on equity of 27.90%. Hershey's revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.09 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Hershey will post 8.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Hershey

In related news, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total transaction of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 34,568 shares in the company, valued at $7,814,787.76. This trade represents a 9.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.10, for a total transaction of $291,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 57,695 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,198,599.50. This trade represents a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,000 shares of company stock worth $2,189,090. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hershey

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of HSY. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,414 shares of the company's stock worth $1,749,000 after buying an additional 640 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky increased its stake in shares of Hershey by 9.7% during the first quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 2,583 shares of the company's stock valued at $537,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the period. KLCM Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hershey in the first quarter valued at about $222,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in Hershey by 12.9% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 330,842 shares of the company's stock worth $68,751,000 after acquiring an additional 37,719 shares during the period. Finally, Waterfront Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in Hershey by 5.0% in the first quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 5,829 shares of the company's stock worth $1,212,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on sales and EPS — Hershey reported Q1 adjusted EPS of $2.35 (vs. ~$2.04 consensus) and revenue of $3.10B, driven by pricing and acquisitions; top‑line grew ~10.7% y/y. This confirms pricing power and revenue resilience. Earnings Release
• Positive Sentiment: GLP‑1 trend boosting mints/gum — Management noted higher demand for mints and gum tied to GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs ("Ozempic breath"); Ice Breakers sales rose ~8% in Q1, a potential pocket of growth offsetting softer chocolate volumes. CNBC Article
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained/increased cash return — Hershey declared the quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share (annualized yield ~3.1%), supporting income investors and reflecting steady free cash flow. Dividend PR
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance largely cautious but mixed — BTIG maintained a Hold/neutral rating, signaling no change in conviction despite the beat; the market is parsing near‑term demand uncertainty versus the earnings beat. TipRanks/BTIG
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure and cost headwinds — Management and multiple reports highlighted rising input, freight and tariff costs that compressed margins despite pricing; investors are focused on margin recovery and volume softness. Benzinga Article
• Negative Sentiment: Price target cut by Wells Fargo — Wells Fargo lowered its Hershey price target from $220 to $200 and moved to an Equal Weight rating, signaling more muted upside expectations and adding downward pressure on the stock. Benzinga (Wells Fargo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance and outlook — Management reaffirmed its 2026 sales and earnings outlook, but commentary around near‑term demand elasticity and softer outlook commentary contributed to investor caution. Earnings Release

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.

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