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Hershey (HSY) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Hershey logo
$176.01 -0.20 (-0.11%)
As of 03:58 PM Eastern

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

Consensus Rating

Sell
0
Hold
16
Buy
7

Based on 23 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 23 analysts, 16 have given a hold rating, and 7 have given a buy rating for HSY.

Consensus Price Target

$204.78
16.34% Upside
According to the 23 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 16.34% from the current price of $176.01.
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

TypeCurrent Forecast
9/1/25 to 9/1/26
1 Month Ago
8/2/25 to 8/2/26
3 Months Ago
6/3/25 to 6/3/26
1 Year Ago
9/1/24 to 9/1/25
Strong Buy
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
7 Buy rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 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$204.06$218.06$170.83
Forecasted Upside16.34% Upside16.30% Upside19.17% Upside-7.11% Downside
Consensus RatingHoldHoldHoldReduce

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.
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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.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Hershey Stock vs. The Competition

TypeHersheyConsumer Staples CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.30
2.23
2.53
Consensus RatingHoldHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside14.77% Upside143.43% Upside14.50% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Very Positive News

See Recent HSY News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
8/21/2026
Nik Modi
Nik Modi
2 of 5 stars
Lower TargetSector Perform$212.00 ➝ $206.00+10.42%
8/3/2026
Barclays PLC logo
Barclays
3 of 5 stars
Andrew Lazar
1 of 5 stars
Lower TargetEqual Weight$208.00 ➝ $200.00+13.99%
7/31/2026
Weiss Ratings logo
Weiss Ratings
5 of 5 stars
 UpgradeHold (C-)Hold (C)
7/31/2026 Reiterated RatingMarket Perform$201.00+14.95%
7/31/2026Set Target$190.00+8.26%
7/31/2026Reiterated RatingHold$191.00+7.97%
7/31/2026Lower TargetEqual Weight$200.00 ➝ $190.00+7.25%
7/31/2026Boost TargetNeutral$190.00 ➝ $198.00+12.85%
7/31/2026Boost TargetNeutral$191.00 ➝ $193.00+10.74%
7/23/2026 Set Target$225.00+31.99%
7/22/2026Lower TargetHold$215.00 ➝ $180.00+5.55%
7/16/2026 Set Target$190.00+11.76%
7/9/2026Lower TargetOverweight$249.00 ➝ $200.00+16.22%
6/25/2026Lower TargetNeutral$220.00 ➝ $200.00+9.13%
5/20/2026Lower TargetNeutral$195.00 ➝ $185.00-3.91%
5/1/2026 Set Target$240.00+31.63%
5/1/2026UpgradeHoldBuy$210.00+13.03%
4/23/2026Lower TargetOverweight$247.00 ➝ $227.00+20.25%
4/13/2026Initiated CoverageNeutral
4/7/2026 DowngradeStrong-BuyHold
2/12/2026 Boost TargetOverweight$200.00 ➝ $260.00+12.11%
11/26/2025 UpgradeHold
9/15/2025 UpgradeNeutralOutperform
4/15/2025Lower TargetNeutral$173.00 ➝ $165.00-3.18%
2/5/2025 Lower TargetMarket Perform$177.00 ➝ $146.00+0.57%
10/22/2024Initiated CoverageSell$165.00-10.70%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Tuesday at 09:58 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 Saturday, August 29, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Hershey pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Hershey
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

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

  • The Hershey Company reported strong earnings per share of $1.90 for the latest quarter, significantly exceeding analysts' expectations, indicating robust financial performance.
  • The company has demonstrated a solid revenue growth of 6.6% year-over-year, reflecting its ability to increase sales and market presence.
  • The current stock price is around $170, which may present a favorable entry point for investors looking to capitalize on potential future growth.
  • The Hershey Company has a healthy return on equity of 31.92%, suggesting effective management and profitability relative to shareholder equity.
  • The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of approximately 3.2%, providing a steady income stream for investors.

Hershey
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

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

  • The company's payout ratio is 79.37%, which indicates that a significant portion of earnings is being distributed as dividends, potentially limiting funds available for reinvestment in growth opportunities.
  • Recent analyst downgrades have seen target prices for The Hershey Company reduced, suggesting a cautious outlook from market experts.
  • Insider ownership is relatively low at 0.08%, which may raise concerns about alignment between management and shareholder interests.
  • Market volatility and economic uncertainties could impact consumer spending on non-essential goods, which may affect The Hershey Company's sales performance.
  • Increased competition in the confectionery market could pressure margins and market share, posing risks to future profitability.

HSY Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 23 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.

23 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Hershey in the last twelve months. There are currently 16 hold ratings and 7 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street 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 16.34% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Hershey's stock had 2 upgrades and 1 downgrade by analysts.

Analysts like Hershey more than other "consumer staples" companies. The consensus rating score for Hershey is 2.30 while the average consensus rating score for "consumer staples" companies is 2.23. Learn more on how HSY compares to other companies.


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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