Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Cuts Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Price Target to $200.00

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price trimmed by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $212.00 to $200.00 in a research report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the stock.

HSY has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Hershey from $182.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Hershey from $238.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $185.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and sixteen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $222.21.

Hershey Stock Performance

NYSE:HSY opened at $202.80 on Monday. Hershey has a 1 year low of $150.04 and a 1 year high of $239.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $216.18 and a 200-day moving average of $195.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.18.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by $0.31. Hershey had a return on equity of 27.90% and a net margin of 7.55%.The business had revenue of $3.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. Hershey’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hershey has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.200-8.520 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hershey will post 6.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This is an increase from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.87%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jason Reiman sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $452,140.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 41,036 shares in the company, valued at $9,277,008.52. This trade represents a 4.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Rohit Grover sold 3,500 shares of Hershey stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.07, for a total value of $791,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 34,568 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,814,787.76. The trade was a 9.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 10,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,195,945 over the last 90 days. 0.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 1,537.5% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 131 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hershey in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Reflection Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hershey in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hershey during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey announced it will revert to the original Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups recipe after consumer and family backlash—good PR and likely to calm a high‑profile brand risk. Hershey’s brings back original Reese’s recipe
• Positive Sentiment: Investors welcomed the company reaffirming its FY2026 outlook at investor day, which supports near‑term earnings cadence and helped initial buying interest. Hershey stock eyes rebound after reaffirming 2026 outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Management laid out a multi‑year strategy to “lead next‑generation snacking” (salty and better‑for‑you categories, supply‑chain modernization). These are positive strategically but are longer‑term execution stories that may not immediately move the needle. Hershey Unveils Strategy to Lead Next Generation Snacking
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor day produced detailed commentary and an analyst transcript for review—useful for modeling but will take time to translate into forecast changes. Analyst/Investor Day Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts reacted by trimming expectations: UBS cut its price target to $215 and moved to Neutral, and Deutsche Bank lowered its expectations—pressure on sentiment and near‑term technicals. UBS lowers HSY price target
• Negative Sentiment: Market action shows selling pressure: the stock is trading down on higher-than-average volume after the investor day, suggesting some profit-taking given HSY’s rich valuation (high P/E). Hershey (HSY) Stock Dips While Market Gains
• Negative Sentiment: Management flagged that the broader recovery will take time—investors may be discounting longer timelines for margin recovery as cocoa and input dynamics normalize. Hershey outlook flags longer-term recovery

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.