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.

$160.21 +0.91 (+0.57%)

Closing price 10/2/2026 03:59 PM Eastern

Extended Trading

$160.22 +0.00 (+0.00%)

As of 10/2/2026 07:30 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
27.82% 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 27.82% from the current price of $160.21.

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 10/3/25 to 10/3/26	1 Month Ago 9/3/25 to 9/3/26	3 Months Ago 7/5/25 to 7/5/26	1 Year Ago 10/3/24 to 10/3/25
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)	15 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	27.82% Upside	16.80% Upside	19.38% Upside	-10.76% 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	27.82% Upside	167.49% Upside	21.54% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Neutral News See Recent HSY News	Positive News	Neutral 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 Saturday at 03:04 PM 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 Wednesday, September 30, 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 stock is currently trading at $157.81, which is near its 52-week low of $157.44, potentially offering a valuation entry point for long-term investors given the company's consistent earnings beats and strong dividend yield of 3.60%.
The company demonstrated strong financial performance in the most recent quarter, reporting earnings per share of $1.90, which significantly exceeded the consensus estimate of $1.43, while revenue grew 6.6% year-over-year to $2.79 billion.
Management has expanded its innovation pipeline by 50% in one year, introducing new products like Reese's Oreo to maintain brand relevance and drive demand among value-focused consumers in the second half of 2026.
Institutional investors have shown confidence in the stock, with Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increasing its stake by 11.8% and Andra AP fonden growing its position by 272.2% during the second quarter, indicating strong institutional accumulation.
The company maintains a low beta of 0.11, suggesting that its stock price is less volatile than the broader market, which can provide stability for conservative portfolios seeking steady income through its 3.60% dividend yield.

Hershey
Bear Case

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

The stock has experienced significant downward pressure, hitting a new 52-week low of $157.44 recently, with the current price of $157.81 reflecting a decline from its 52-week high of $239.48, indicating potential market concerns about future growth or cost pressures.
Analysts have a consensus rating of "Hold" with a price target of $204.78, which, while above the current price, suggests limited upside potential compared to other sectors, and some firms like Bank of America have lowered their price targets from $220.00 to $200.00.
The company faces ongoing cost pressures from cocoa prices, which have squeezed margins, as highlighted by recent comparisons with competitors like Mondelez, raising concerns about the sustainability of its dividend payout ratio of 79.37% if commodity costs remain elevated.
Insider selling has been consistent, with CFO Steven Voskuil selling 1,500 shares in July 2026 at an average price of $170.00, following similar sales in previous months, which may signal a lack of confidence in near-term stock appreciation.
The stock has underperformed the general market recently, with a 1.82% drop on September 29, 2026, and is among large-cap consumer staple stocks with the weakest momentum, suggesting potential challenges in maintaining market share or pricing power.

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 research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Hershey in the last twelve months. There are currently 16 hold ratings and 6 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street 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 27.82% 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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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