The Hershey (HSY) Q3 2026 earnings — TrendMatrix coverage
Reported
Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. How we score · Full disclosure · Editorial policy
Key numbers
- Adjusted EPS
- $2.64
- Estimate
- $2.11
- Surprise
- +25.1%
- Revenue (period 2026-09-27)
- $3.28B
- Score at report (before → after)
- 5.4 → 5.4/10
Revenue source: xbrl.
How the report landed
The Hershey (HSY) beat the $2.11 estimate with adjusted EPS of $2.64 — a large 25.1% upside surprise. TrendMatrix's engine moved from Buy (Wait) (5.4/10) to Hold at 5.4/10 after the report.
Coverage in the report window
- Evercore ISI Group Maintains Outperform on Hershey, Lowers Price Target to $200 — benzinga, 2026-10-30
- TD Cowen Downgrades Hershey to Hold — fiscal.ai, 2026-10-30
Where TrendMatrix's rating stands now
TrendMatrix currently rates HSY Hold at 5.5/10.
4 of the last 4 quarters beat the estimate; this quarter's +25.1% surprise compares with a +23.7% four-quarter average.
What supports the rating
- Sector modifier (Consumer Defensive): +0.8
- Strong earnings beat streak (4/4)
What argues against it
- Concentration risk — Geographic: United States manufacturing
- Thin upside margin: 8.6%
- Leverage penalty (D/E 1.3): -0.5
This section and the ones below it reflect TrendMatrix’s latest engine read — they update after the report date and are not frozen to it.
The levels TrendMatrix's engine tracks
- Current price
- $160.28
- Price target
- $174.13
- Stop
- $154.02
- Upside to target
- +8.6%
- Reward-to-risk
- 1.6:1
The stock trades at 21.9× trailing but 16.6× forward earnings — consensus estimates already build in a substantial earnings recovery.
Risk check: trading volume is running 1.7× its average — elevated turnover around the report window.
Model outputs from TrendMatrix’s engine as of 2026-10-30 — shown for context, not personalized investment advice.
HSY at TrendMatrix's latest read
Defensive staples are judged on margin resilience: pricing power against input costs matters more here than top-line drama.
- Industry
- Confectioners
- Market cap
- $32.20B
- P/E (fwd)
- 16.6
- P/E (ttm)
- 21.9
- 52-week range
- $156.16–$239.48
- Off 52-week high
- 33.1%
- RSI (14)
- 47
- Volume vs avg
- 1.67×
- Score today
- 5.5/10