Hershey (HSY) Stock Forecast & Price Target

$152.82 -1.20 (-0.78%)

As of 01/17/2025 03:59 PM Eastern

Hershey - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2025)

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.

Consensus Rating

Reduce

Based on 20 Analyst Ratings

Sell
6

Hold
14

Buy
0

Based on 20 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Hershey in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce." Out of the 20 analysts, 6 have given a sell rating, and 14 have given a hold rating for HSY.

Consensus Price Target

$176.42
15.44% Upside

According to the 20 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Hershey, the average price target is $176.42. The highest price target for HSY is $225.00, while the lowest price target for HSY is $140.00. The average price target represents a forecasted upside of 15.44% from the current price of $152.82.

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HSY Analyst Ratings Over Time

Type	Current Forecast 1/21/24 to 1/20/25	1 Month Ago 12/22/23 to 12/21/24	3 Months Ago 10/23/23 to 10/22/24	1 Year Ago 1/21/23 to 1/21/24
Strong Buy	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)
Hold	14 Hold rating(s)	13 Hold rating(s)	16 Hold rating(s)	12 Hold rating(s)
Sell	6 Sell rating(s)	6 Sell rating(s)	5 Sell rating(s)	0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target	$176.42	$185.17	$193.50	$238.95
Forecasted Upside	15.44% Upside	8.76% Upside	5.47% Upside	25.46% Upside
Consensus Rating	Reduce	Reduce	Reduce	Hold

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	S&P 500
Consensus Rating Score	1.70	2.49	2.52
Consensus Rating	Reduce	Hold	Moderate Buy
Predicted Upside	15.44% Upside	46.10% Upside	12.44% Upside
News Sentiment Rating	Neutral News See Recent HSY News	Positive News	Positive News

Recent Analyst Forecasts and Stock Ratings

Rating

Upside/Downside

Action

Time Frame

Start Date

End Date

Show

Export to Excel

Date	Brokerage	Analyst Name	Action	Rating	Price Target	Upside/Downside on Report Date
1/17/2025	Barclays 3 of 5 stars	Andrew Lazar Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Equal Weight ➝ Equal Weight	$180.00 ➝ $170.00	+10.27%
1/17/2025	Wells Fargo & Company 3 of 5 stars	C. Carey Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Underweight ➝ Underweight	$150.00 ➝ $140.00	-9.16%
1/16/2025	UBS Group 4 of 5 stars	P. Grom Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$189.00 ➝ $163.00	+5.76%
1/16/2025	Piper Sandler Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Michael Lavery Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$168.00 ➝ $153.00	+0.68%
1/16/2025	JPMorgan Chase & Co. Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Ken Goldman Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Neutral ➝ Neutral	$171.00 ➝ $151.00	-0.49%
1/8/2025	TD Cowen Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$190.00 ➝ $172.00	+7.11%
1/8/2025	Citigroup Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	T. Palmer Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Lower Target	Sell ➝ Sell	$165.00 ➝ $159.00	-4.15%
12/23/2024	Mizuho Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Neutral	$195.00 ➝ $170.00	+1.55%
12/12/2024	Bank of America Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Neutral	$180.00	+1.61%
12/10/2024	Royal Bank of Canada Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Sector Perform ➝ Sector Perform	$183.00 ➝ $183.00	-4.32%
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.
10/31/2024	Jefferies Financial Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Underperform ➝ Underperform	$163.00 ➝ $161.00	-9.75%
10/25/2024	Stifel Nicolaus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Lower Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$195.00 ➝ $180.00	-1.21%
10/22/2024	Redburn Atlantic Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	B. Zhu Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Initiated Coverage	Sell	$165.00	-10.70%
10/7/2024	Sanford C. Bernstein Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	A. Howard Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Downgrade	Outperform ➝ Market Perform	$230.00 ➝ $205.00	+6.86%
9/10/2024	Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Hold ➝ Hold	$191.00 ➝ $199.00	-1.82%
8/14/2024	Argus Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	T. Conrad Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating	Downgrade	Buy ➝ Hold
8/12/2024	The Goldman Sachs Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Initiated Coverage	Sell	$185.00	-8.19%
4/19/2024	Edward Jones Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Buy ➝ Hold
3/26/2024	BNP Paribas Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Downgrade	Outperform ➝ Neutral	$208.00	+8.19%
2/12/2024	Morgan Stanley Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Downgrade	Equal Weight ➝ Underweight	$191.00 ➝ $183.00	-6.37%
12/8/2023	DA Davidson Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Initiated Coverage	Neutral	$205.00	+8.43%
10/13/2023	Stephens Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Initiated Coverage	Overweight	$240.00	+27.90%
9/22/2023	HSBC Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Initiated Coverage	Buy	$248.00	+19.17%
5/2/2023	VNET Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Reiterated Rating	Maintains
4/28/2023	Evercore ISI Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Inline	$255.00 ➝ $265.00	-2.03%
2/3/2023	Credit Suisse Group Subscribe to MarketBeat All Access for the recommendation accuracy rating		Boost Target	Outperform	$250.00 ➝ $260.00	+10.91%

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Monday at 05:57 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 Tuesday, January 7, 2025. 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 Hershey Company has a strong market capitalization of $34.15 billion, indicating a robust position in the confectionery industry, which can provide stability and growth potential for investors.
The current stock price is $168.79, which is relatively close to its 52-week low of $166.69, suggesting a potential buying opportunity for investors looking for value.
The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.37 per share, translating to an annualized dividend of $5.48 and a yield of 3.25%. This consistent dividend payment can provide a reliable income stream for investors.
Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.96% of The Hershey Company's stock, indicating strong confidence from large financial entities, which can be a positive signal for individual investors.
The Hershey Company operates through three segments, including North America Confectionery and International, allowing for diversified revenue streams and reduced risk associated with market fluctuations.

Hershey
Bear Case

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

Recent downgrades from multiple analysts, including UBS Group and Jefferies Financial Group, have reduced price targets significantly, indicating a lack of confidence in the stock's short-term performance.
The stock has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 19.45, which may be considered high compared to industry averages, suggesting that the stock could be overvalued.
The company's quick ratio is 0.54, indicating potential liquidity issues, as it suggests that The Hershey Company may not have enough short-term assets to cover its short-term liabilities.
With a payout ratio of 63.13%, a significant portion of earnings is being distributed as dividends, which could limit the company's ability to reinvest in growth opportunities.
Recent trading volumes have been below average, with only 864,511 shares exchanged compared to an average of 1,807,945, which may indicate reduced investor interest or confidence in the stock.

HSY Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

: According to the research reports of 20 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Hershey is $176.42, with a high forecast of $225.00 and a low forecast of $140.00.
: 20 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Hershey in the last twelve months. There are currently 6 sell ratings and 14 hold ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "reduce" HSY shares.
: According to analysts, Hershey's stock has a predicted upside of 15.44% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.
: Over the previous 90 days, Hershey's stock had 1 downgrade by analysts.
: Hershey has been rated by research analysts at Bank of America, Barclays, Citigroup, Jefferies Financial Group, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mizuho, Piper Sandler, Redburn Atlantic, Royal Bank of Canada, Stifel Nicolaus, TD Cowen, UBS Group, and Wells Fargo & Company in the past 90 days.
: Analysts like Hershey less than other "consumer staples" companies. The consensus rating for Hershey is Reduce while the average consensus rating for "consumer staples" companies is Hold. Learn more on how HSY compares to other companies.

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This page (NYSE:HSY) was last updated on 1/20/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff

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Hershey (HSY) Stock Forecast & Price Target