Hershey Company (The) (HSY)
NYSEConsumer StaplesFood ConfectionersSnapshot 2026-10-29
$165.61+3.33%
Close 2026-10-30 · 1-day change
NYSEConsumer StaplesFood ConfectionersSnapshot 2026-10-29
Research Workspace
Put HSY beside peers and holdings, graph the same metric, and keep your notes with the evidence.
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Industries move in repeating boom-and-bust cycles. This shows where this stock’s industry sits in that cycle, stage by stage (recovery → expansion → supercycle → steady → deceleration → contraction), from its fundamentals (orders, revenue, capital spending), not the stock’s price.
A booming industry is a tailwind for the names in it; a contracting one is a headwind. Companies in the same industry tend to rise and fall together with the cycle, the way a tide lifts and lowers every boat in the harbor at once, so a large part of a stock’s swing can come from where its industry sits rather than from the company itself. It’s context for reading the company’s results, not a buy/sell call. Full explanation →
Packaged Foods & Meats is in steady. Describes the industry's cycle state, not a call on this stock.
The stage band shows the industry’s cycle over the chart’s timeline (each color a stage); a ▼ marks a quarter its growth inflected down — amber is an unconfirmed watch, red is confirmed the next quarter. Use “Overlay cycle on chart” to tint the price chart by stage. The industry’s fundamentals, not a signal on this stock.
Primary pillar under pressure — net sales growth of at least 3% annually: Revenue growth: 2.96%.
View ThesisRevenue is growing steadily — about 7% over the past year.
View GrowthMiddle-of-the-pack quality for its industry.
View QualityManagement screens strong on capital allocation, earnings delivery, the balance sheet.
View ManagementExpectations look high — the market is pricing in about 32% growth a year, above the roughly 2% analysts expect, leaving little room for error.
View ValuationModerate volatility — typically moves about 1% a day.
View RiskHSY’s case rests on pricing, innovation, and brand investment sustaining net sales growth. Revenue growth slowed from 6.6% to 3.0%, despite the latest earnings beat. It trades at 19× P/E versus a 13× peer median. The market is pricing in more growth than our forecast. Volume declines despite price increases threaten growth, while the premium multiple has to be earned. Our model puts the next-quarter miss probability near 18%. Peer multiples imply a price about 32% below where it trades; the thesis is on watch, and this read is provisional.
Trailing returns as of 2026-10-30. HSY is total return (includes dividends); the S&P 500 benchmark is price return (the index excludes dividends).
Based on 24 analysts currently covering HSY (as of Oct 2026).
Based on 11 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for HSY in the last 4 months.
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| Compare | Company | Living FV | P/E | Revenue % | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSY Selected company | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Peer Add a competitor | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Holding Compare a holding | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review |
Selected metric trend
Quarterly · checked companies · value or % of revenue
A consensus fair price across 11 valuation methods, at three horizons. As of 2026-10-30. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
Today's peer multiple on trailing earnings, with no growth credited. This is the headline read.
Adds projected growth, so it leans optimistic by design. Read it as upside context, not a base case.
A price-focused, side-by-side fair-value read versus Packaged Foods & Meats — fair value, gap to price, and forward P/E.
Compare the value case
Put HSY next to peers and holdings, compare Living FV and multiples, then graph the driver behind the difference.
Threatens: Increase net sales growth
Gas-price pressure is reducing candy purchases, putting near-term sales growth and Halloween demand at risk.
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.
End-of-day figures as of 2026-10-30. EPS is implied from price ÷ P/E. Not investment advice.
Current $165.61
The last 12 months of price, then the range of analyst 12-month targets from today’s $165.61.
Analyst ratings and price targets are third-party Wall Street estimates, not QuarterlyIQ’s view. Not investment advice.
A long-thesis check that carries the widest uncertainty of the three horizons.
Above average on quality vs scored peers
A second lens on the 12-month fair value: for companies that score high on measured quality (profitability, balance-sheet safety, earnings stability), this read trusts more of today's profit margins instead of averaging them toward their multi-year history the way the headline number does. Shown alongside the fair value above, not in place of it. A diagnostic, not a price target or a buy/sell signal.
Direction of the business behind the multiple. Bands are backend reads; trailing-12-month basis.
Advances: Drive net sales growth through pricing, innovation and brand investment
2027 growth target and expanded innovation pipeline support sales-growth and innovation priorities.
Advances: Increase net sales growth
Innovation pipeline expansion supports sales growth.
Advances: Increase net sales growth
Innovation pipeline expansion supports sales growth.
Advances: Increase net sales growth
Dividend growth supports investor confidence and sales.
Advances: Increase net sales growth
Dividend growth supports investor confidence and sales.
Advances: Increase net sales growth
Strong demand in snacks supports sales growth.
Advances: Increase net sales growth
Pricing strategy supports sales growth.