Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Given New $220.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) had its target price increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $182.00 to $220.00 in a research report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Argus upgraded Hershey to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Hershey in a research report on Friday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hershey from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $236.00 price objective on shares of Hershey in a report on Friday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $188.00 target price on shares of Hershey in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hershey currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $218.21.

Hershey Stock Up 3.0%

HSY opened at $231.11 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $46.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.25 and a beta of 0.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.19. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $189.69 and its 200 day moving average is $185.90. Hershey has a fifty-two week low of $150.04 and a fifty-two week high of $234.43.

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

Hershey Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.452 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $5.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Hershey’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.37. Hershey’s dividend payout ratio is presently 81.91%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kirk Tanner bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $185.46 per share, with a total value of $370,920.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 47,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,876,115.60. This trade represents a 4.36% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Stacy Taffet acquired 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $186.19 per share, with a total value of $37,238.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 9,371 shares in the company, valued at $1,744,786.49. This trade represents a 2.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,119,450. 0.34% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hershey

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HSY. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey in the second quarter worth about $224,000. Liberty One Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hershey by 32.4% in the 3rd quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 38,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,122,000 after purchasing an additional 9,309 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of Hershey by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 58,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,695,000 after purchasing an additional 2,659 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its stake in shares of Hershey by 6.4% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 42,538 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,957,000 after purchasing an additional 2,573 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CORDA Investment Management LLC. increased its holdings in Hershey by 6.6% during the third quarter. CORDA Investment Management LLC. now owns 113,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,276,000 after buying an additional 7,064 shares during the period. 57.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates and management raised FY‑2026 guidance (EPS 8.20–8.52, revenue ~ $12.2–12.3B), giving investors confidence in demand resilience and pricing power. Reuters: Hershey sees strong 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Hershey raised its quarterly dividend by 6% (to $1.452/share), signaling management confidence and attracting income investors ahead of the ex‑dividend date. PR Newswire: Hershey Declares Quarterly Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets after the report — Evercore ISI lifted its target to $250 (in-line rating), and others followed with higher targets, supporting further upside narrative. The Fly: Evercore raises target
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reaction in cocoa futures — cocoa prices rose after Hershey’s upbeat outlook, reflecting eased demand concerns; this can be a mixed signal for margins vs. broader industry health. Barchart: Cocoa prices settle higher
• Neutral Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms reiterated Hold/Equal Weight but nudged up targets (Wells Fargo to $220, BofA to $240, TD Cowen to $210), indicating cautious optimism but not broad conviction to upgrade to Buy. Benzinga: Wells Fargo raises target
• Negative Sentiment: Margins remain under pressure from higher cocoa costs and tariffs; outlets highlighted that profit was dragged by these items even as top‑line and EPS beat. Continued commodity volatility is a downside risk to the earnings recovery. WSJ: Profit dragged by tariffs, cocoa costs
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentary cautioned that cocoa price volatility and cost/tariff risks could limit margin recovery, supporting Hold ratings for risk‑averse investors. TipRanks: Hold ratings due to cocoa volatility

Hershey Company Profile

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.