Hershey Co (HSY) Stock Forecast Oct. 16, 2026
Analysis updated on Oct. 16, 2026 (UTC) · Alpha · vs marketSwitch to Total · NYSE
Hershey Co (HSY) stock forecast summary
Our AI ranks Hershey Co outside the neutral middle of its coverage (a directional signal). Create a free account and follow it to see the exact price target.
Hershey Co is a large-cap company with a market capitalization of $34.64B.
For HSY, the Spearman rank correlation between our 90-day forecasts and the returns that followed is 10.0%, measured on 357 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-07-17 on this stock's own recent history. A rank correlation runs from -100% to +100%: it measures whether higher forecasts were followed by higher returns, and a value near zero or below means the model has shown little skill on this stock. On the 30-day forecasts the same correlation is 13.0%, measured on 400 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-09-16. Across our coverage, the out-of-sample test on 4495 stocks from 2025-01-06 to 2026-07-07 produced a positive net return in 82.5% of rebalance periods (factor-neutral book, net of estimated costs). Full backtest report
Expected return relative to the market over the horizon: a positive alpha means the model expects the stock to beat the market, whatever the market does. Ratings: strong buy ≥ +1.8%, buy ≥ +0.2%, sell < -0.9%, strong sell < -1.2% (top 15%, next 20%, middle 30%, next 20%, bottom 15% of the 2026-10-16 signals)
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How HSY ranks among 5184 stocks
90D Alpha forecasts of every company scored, cut into five relative ratings at the 15th, 35th, 65th and 85th percentiles (dashed lines).
Hershey Co (HSY) fundamentals
Trailing twelve months. The industry median and the rank (1 = highest) are taken over the Sugar & Confectionery Products peers listed below that report each metric.
Valuation & Market
| Metric | HSY | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $34.64B | – |
| P/E Ratio | 23.26x | – |
| P/B Ratio | 7.47x | – |
| Dividend Yield | 3.22% | – |
| Book Value/Share | $22.87 | – |
| Revenue/Share | $59.99 | – |
| FCF/Share | $10.99 | – |
Profitability & Margins
| Metric | HSY | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| ROE | 37.9% | – |
| ROA | 12.8% | – |
| ROIC | 20.8% | – |
| Gross Margin | 38.4% | – |
| Operating Margin | 17.8% | – |
| Net Margin | 14.4% | – |
| EBT Margin | 15.8% | – |
| Tax Rate | 22.5% | – |
Financial Health
| Metric | HSY | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 1.18x | – |
| Quick Ratio | 0.66x | – |
| D/E Ratio | 1.96x | – |
| Financial Leverage | 2.96x | – |
| Interest Coverage | 11.5x | – |
| Working Capital | $604M | – |
Cash Flow
| Metric | HSY | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash Flow | $2.66B | – |
| Free Cash Flow | $2.23B | – |
| Capital Spending | -$428M | – |
| OCF Growth YoY | 23.8% | – |
| FCF Growth YoY | 34.8% | – |
| FCF/Sales | 18.3% | – |
| CapEx/Sales | 3.5% | – |
Operational Efficiency
| Metric | HSY | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Asset Turnover | 0.89x | – |
| Receivables Turnover | 13.4x | – |
| Inventory Turnover | 4.3x | – |
| Fixed Assets Turnover | 3.5x | – |
| Days Sales Outstanding | 27 days | – |
| Days Inventory | 85 days | – |
| Payables Period | 68 days | – |
| Cash Conversion Cycle | 44 days | – |
Income Statement
| Metric | HSY | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue | $12.16B | – |
| Operating Income | $2.16B | – |
| Net Income | $1.76B | – |
| SG&A Expense | $2.50B | – |
| Cost of Goods Sold | $7.50B | – |
Dividend & Shareholder Information
| Metric | HSY | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Dividends Per Share | $5.51 | – |
| Shares Outstanding | 203M | – |
| Net Income Growth | -35.9% | – |
Balance Sheet Highlights (USD millions)
| Total Current Assets | $3.96B | 28.8% of assets |
| Cash & Short-term Investments | $791M | 5.8% of assets |
| Accounts Receivable | $907M | 6.6% of assets |
| Inventory | $1.74B | 12.7% of assets |
| Total Liabilities | $9.10B | 66.3% of assets |
| Short-term Debt | $1.95B | 14.2% of assets |
HSY quarterly financials and insider trading
Hershey Co (HSY) industry peers
Companies classified under the same SEC industry code as Hershey Co (Sugar & Confectionery Products): 4 common-stock issuers with a forecast this week, one row per issuer, largest first. This is a classification match, not a curated list of competitors.
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Hershey Co (HSY) stock news
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Hershey Co (HSY) stock forecast FAQ
What is the Hershey Co (HSY) stock forecast?
Our AI ranks Hershey Co outside the neutral middle of its coverage (a directional signal). Create a free account and follow it to see the exact price target.
How accurate are Hershey Co stock predictions?
For HSY, the Spearman rank correlation between our 90-day forecasts and the returns that followed is 10.0%, measured on 357 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-07-17 on this stock's own recent history. A rank correlation runs from -100% to +100%: it measures whether higher forecasts were followed by higher returns, and a value near zero or below means the model has shown little skill on this stock. On the 30-day forecasts the same correlation is 13.0%, measured on 400 forecast dates between 2022-07-29 and 2026-09-16. Across our coverage, the out-of-sample test on 4495 stocks from 2025-01-06 to 2026-07-07 produced a positive net return in 82.5% of rebalance periods (factor-neutral book, net of estimated costs). Full backtest report
How often are Hershey Co forecasts updated?
Hershey Co forecasts are refreshed on trading days as the daily model run completes. The forecast on this page was produced on Oct. 16, 2026.
Which companies are Hershey Co's industry peers?
4 issuers in our coverage, HSY included, share the SEC industry code Sugar & Confectionery Products. The largest are: Tootsie Roll Industries Inc (TR), Sanfilippo John B & Son Inc (JBSS), Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. (RMCF).
This analysis is generated automatically using our proprietary AI systems and should not be considered personalized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always conduct your own research and consider consulting a financial advisor before making investment decisions.