Hershey (NYSE:HSY) Stock Dropped to “Hold” by TD Cowen

TD Cowen lowered shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Friday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have $173.00 price target on the stock, down from their previous price target of $198.00.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on HSY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Hershey from $193.00 to $183.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Hershey from $215.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Hershey from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $178.00 target price (down from $190.00) on shares of Hershey in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $195.24.

Hershey Stock Performance

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $165.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.10. Hershey has a 12 month low of $156.16 and a 12 month high of $239.48. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $169.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $189.03.

Hershey (NYSE:HSY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.53. The business had revenue of $3.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.25 billion. Hershey had a net margin of 14.63% and a return on equity of 37.12%. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hershey will post 8.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a $1.4520 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $5.81 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 79.37%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hershey

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Hershey in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hershey during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hershey during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial purchased a new position in Hershey in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 57.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Hershey

Here are the key news stories impacting Hershey this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hershey reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $2.64 per share, well above the roughly $2.11–$2.12 consensus estimate, while revenue of $3.28 billion also exceeded expectations and rose 3% year over year. Hershey Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Pricing gains, cost relief and tariff refunds drove a sharp increase in quarterly profit, prompting Hershey to raise its 2026 earnings outlook. The stronger results provide support for the stock despite volume weakness. HSY Q3 Earnings Top Estimates on Cost Relief and Pricing Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Management maintained its 2027 sales-growth target of 2% to 4% and highlighted a substantially larger innovation pipeline and productivity initiatives as longer-term growth drivers. Hershey Targets 2027 Sales Growth
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.452 per common share, equivalent to $5.81 annually and a yield of approximately 3.6%, supporting the income-investment case. Hershey Declares Quarterly Dividends
• Neutral Sentiment: Some market commentary characterizes HSY as a long-term momentum stock, but these assessments are based largely on quantitative ranking factors rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Why Hershey Is a Top Momentum Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Hershey reduced its 2026 organic-sales outlook as high prices, inflation, interest rates and gasoline costs pressure shoppers. Convenience-store candy sales fell 5% in September, and management said the final days of Halloween are critical. Hershey Warns Financial Pressures Could Weigh on Halloween Spending
• Negative Sentiment: Higher cocoa and sugar costs are creating margin risk, while consumers are trading down to smaller candy packages. TD Cowen downgraded HSY to “hold” and cut its price target to $173 from $198; BNP Paribas Exane also reduced its target. Halloween Gets Pricier as Chocolate Costs Rise

About Hershey

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is a global confectionery and snack food manufacturer headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894, the company began as a chocolate producer and has grown into one of the largest branded snack businesses in North America.

Hershey’s portfolio includes chocolate, non-chocolate confectionery, gum and mints, and salty snacks. Its brands include Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Kit Kat in the United States under license from Nestlé, Jolly Rancher, Twizzlers, Ice Breakers, SkinnyPop and Dot’s Pretzels.