JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $211.00

Key Points

• JPMorgan cut its price target on Hershey to $211 from $230 while maintaining a "neutral" rating, with the new target implying roughly a 9.82% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst consensus is a Hold with an average price target of $225.78; analysts are mixed (six Buy, 17 Hold) and recent targets range from Jefferies' $207 to Goldman's $267.
• Hershey recently beat quarterly expectations (EPS $1.71 vs $1.40; revenue $3.09B vs $2.97B), set FY2026 guidance of $8.20–$8.52 EPS, and its shares traded around $192.14 (market cap ~$38.9B).

Hershey (NYSE:HSY - Get Free Report) had its price target lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $230.00 to $211.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price points to a potential upside of 9.82% from the company's current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on HSY. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $267.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $249.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Zacks Research cut Hershey from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Hershey from $185.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on Hershey in a research report on Monday, April 13th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seventeen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $225.78.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HSY traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $192.14. 944,681 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,002,454. Hershey has a 1 year low of $150.04 and a 1 year high of $239.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.18. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $216.58 and a 200 day moving average of $197.00.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Steven E. Voskuil sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.71, for a total transaction of $325,065.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 59,869 shares in the company, valued at $12,974,210.99. The trade was a 2.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,277,008.52. The trade was a 4.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,195,945 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.08% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 6.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,310 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,618,000 after purchasing an additional 937 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Hershey by 20.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 697 shares of the company's stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in Hershey during the 2nd quarter valued at $267,000. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its holdings in shares of Hershey by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 17,927 shares of the company's stock worth $2,975,000 after buying an additional 769 shares during the period. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Hershey by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 22,247 shares of the company's stock worth $3,692,000 after buying an additional 1,149 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company's stock.

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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