Hershey (HSY) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Q: What analysts cover Hershey?

Hershey has been rated by research analysts at Barclays , DA Davidson , Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft , Evercore , Jefferies Financial Group , JPMorgan Chase & Co. , Piper Sandler , Royal Bank Of Canada , Sanford C. Bernstein , Stifel Nicolaus , TD Cowen , UBS Group , Weiss Ratings , and Wells Fargo & Company in the past 90 days.

$166.69 -1.76 (-1.04%)

Closing price 09/24/2026 03:59 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$167.60 +0.91 (+0.55%)

As of 09/24/2026 07:59 PM Eastern

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Hershey - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Hold

Based on 22 Analyst Ratings

Sell
0

Hold
16

Buy
6

Based on 22 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Hershey in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold." Out of the 22 analysts, 16 have given a hold rating, and 6 have given a buy rating for HSY.

Consensus Price Target

$204.78
22.85% Upside

According to the 22 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Hershey, the average price target is $204.78. The highest price target for HSY is $260.00, while the lowest price target for HSY is $180.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 22.85% from the current price of $166.69.

MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.

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HSY Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 9/25/25 to 9/25/26	1 Month Ago 8/26/25 to 8/26/26	3 Months Ago 6/27/25 to 6/27/26	1 Year Ago 9/25/24 to 9/25/25
Strong Buy	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	6 Buy rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)
Hold	16 Hold rating(s)	16 Hold rating(s)	16 Hold rating(s)	14 Hold rating(s)
Sell	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$204.78	$204.78	$217.50	$174.05
Forecasted Upside	22.85% Upside	10.23% Upside	21.29% Upside	-6.09% Downside
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	Hold	Reduce

HSY Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.

HSY Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.

Hershey Stock vs. The Competition

Type	Hershey	Consumer Staples Companies	Broader Market
Consensus Rating Score	2.27	2.22	2.53
Consensus Rating	Hold	Hold	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	22.85% Upside	156.78% Upside	19.69% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Positive News See Recent HSY News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

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Date	Brokerage	Analyst	Action	Rating	Price Target	Report Date Upside/Downside
9/1/2026	TD Cowen 3 of 5 stars	Robert Moskow Not Rated	Reiterated Rating	Buy
8/21/2026	Royal Bank Of Canada 3 of 5 stars	Nik Modi 2 of 5 stars	Lower Target	Sector Perform	$212.00 ➝ $206.00	+10.42%
8/3/2026	Barclays 3 of 5 stars	Andrew Lazar 1 of 5 stars	Lower Target	Equal Weight	$208.00 ➝ $200.00	+13.99%
7/31/2026	Weiss Ratings Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Hold (C-) ➝ Hold (C)
7/31/2026	Sanford C. Bernstein Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Market Perform	$201.00	+14.95%
7/31/2026	DA Davidson Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Brian Holland Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Set Target		$190.00	+8.26%
7/31/2026	Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Steve Powers Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Reiterated Rating	Hold	$191.00	+7.97%
7/31/2026	Wells Fargo & Company Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Chris Carey Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Equal Weight	$200.00 ➝ $190.00	+7.25%
7/31/2026	UBS Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Peter Grom Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Neutral	$190.00 ➝ $198.00	+12.85%
7/31/2026	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Thomas Palmer Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Boost Target	Neutral	$191.00 ➝ $193.00	+10.74%
Get the Latest News and Ratings for HSY and Related Stocks Enter your email address below to receive the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hershey and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter.
7/23/2026	Evercore Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Set Target		$225.00	+31.99%
7/22/2026	Stifel Nicolaus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Matthew Smith Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Hold	$215.00 ➝ $180.00	+5.55%
7/16/2026	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Set Target		$190.00	+11.76%
7/9/2026	Piper Sandler Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Michael Lavery Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Overweight	$249.00 ➝ $200.00	+16.22%
6/25/2026	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Peter Galbo Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral	$220.00 ➝ $200.00	+9.13%
5/20/2026	Mizuho Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	John Baumgartner Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral	$195.00 ➝ $185.00	-3.91%
5/1/2026	The Goldman Sachs Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Set Target		$240.00	+31.63%
4/23/2026	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Megan Clapp Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Overweight	$247.00 ➝ $227.00	+20.25%
4/13/2026	BTIG Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Rob Dickerson Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Initiated Coverage	Neutral
4/7/2026	Zacks Research Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Downgrade	Strong-Buy ➝ Hold
2/12/2026	Stephens Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Overweight	$200.00 ➝ $260.00	+12.11%
11/26/2025	Argus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Hold
9/15/2025	BNP Paribas Exane Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Upgrade	Neutral ➝ Outperform
4/15/2025	Citigroup Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	T. Palmer Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral	$173.00 ➝ $165.00	-3.18%
2/5/2025	Bernstein Bank Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Market Perform	$177.00 ➝ $146.00	+0.57%
10/22/2024	Rothschild & Co Redburn Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the firm's recommendation accuracy rating	Bingqing Zhu Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the analyst's recommendation accuracy rating	Initiated Coverage	Sell	$165.00	-10.70%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Friday at 01:34 AM ET.

Should I Buy Hershey Stock? HSY Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Hershey pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Hershey
Bull Case

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in The Hershey Company:

The Hershey Company recently resumed dividend growth after a nearly two-year freeze, signaling a potential return to capital return stability for income-focused investors who have been watching the yield number for warning signs in the income statement.
The stock is currently trading at $167.60, which is near its 52-week low of $161.43, offering a potential entry point for value investors given that the company recently beat earnings estimates with $1.90 EPS against a consensus of $1.43.
Recent quarterly results showed revenue growth of 6.6% year-over-year, with the company reporting $2.79 billion in revenue compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion, indicating strong demand for its confectionery and snack products.
The company has a low beta of 0.11, which means its stock price is significantly less volatile than the overall market, making it a defensive holding for investors seeking stability during market fluctuations.
Institutional investors such as Nykredit A S and Amundi have recently increased their stakes in the company, with Amundi growing its position by 21.9% in the second quarter, suggesting confidence in the company's long-term outlook.

Hershey
Bear Case

Investors should be bearish about investing in The Hershey Company for these reasons:

The consensus rating from analysts is "Hold" with an average price target of $204.78, which is significantly higher than the current stock price of $167.60, suggesting that the stock may be undervalued but also that analysts are not bullish on immediate growth.
Short interest has been increasing, with shares shorted rising to 9,139,522 in the most recent period, indicating that some investors are betting against the stock's performance.
The company's payout ratio is currently 79.37%, which is relatively high and may limit its ability to reinvest in growth or weather economic downturns without cutting dividends.
Recent insider activity shows that CFO Steven Voskuil has been selling shares, with a recent sale of 1,500 shares at an average price of $170.00, which could signal a lack of confidence in the stock's near-term prospects.
The stock has underperformed the market recently, with a 50-day moving average of $177.88 and a 200-day moving average of $188.63, both of which are above the current price, indicating a downward trend.

HSY Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 22 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Hershey is $204.78, with a high forecast of $260.00 and a low forecast of $180.00.

22 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Hershey in the last year. There are currently 16 hold ratings and 6 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "hold" HSY shares. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in HSY, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares.

According to analysts, Hershey's stock has a predicted upside of 22.85% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Hershey's stock had 2 upgrades by analysts.

Hershey has been rated by research analysts at Barclays, DA Davidson, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Evercore, Jefferies Financial Group, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Piper Sandler, Royal Bank Of Canada, Sanford C. Bernstein, Stifel Nicolaus, TD Cowen, UBS Group, Weiss Ratings, and Wells Fargo & Company in the past 90 days.

Analysts like Hershey more than other "consumer staples" companies. The consensus rating score for Hershey is 2.27 while the average consensus rating score for "consumer staples" companies is 2.22. Learn more on how HSY compares to other companies.

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Brokerages With Hershey Recommendations

MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Hershey analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/1/2026.

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Hershey (HSY) Stock Forecast & Price Target