BUZZ-Hershey sweetens as Morgan Stanley turns bullish on accelerating EPS growth

** Hershey's HSY.N shares up 2.4% to $186.17 on Mon after Morgan Stanley upgrades chocolate maker to 'overweight' from 'equal-weight', pointing to expected pick-up in EPS growth

** HSY shares rising for a 4th-straight session to a two-week high

** Brokerage boosts PT from $195 to $211, 16% above stock's last close

** With cost pressures easing and topline momentum improving, Morgan Stanley says it sees "a credible multiyear earnings recovery not reflected in consensus"

** EPS to rebound sharply beginning in FY26 — well ahead of consensus (+14%) — with the potential for 20%+ growth, followed by sustained double-digit expansion into FY27, Morgan Stanley says, adding there could be additional upside should cocoa prices deflate further

** HSY stands out as one of the few names in staples offering above-average visibility into a meaningful EPS acceleration while much of the sector continues to grapple withvolume uncertainty and fading pricing power - Morgan Stanley

** Now, of 25 brokerages covering HSY shares, recommendation breakdown is 6 "strong buy" or "buy", 17 "hold" and 2 "sell" ratings; their median PT is $191, per LSEG data

** With the move on Mon, shares up ~10% YTD, outpacing 3% advance in S&P 500 Consumer Staples .SPLRCS

(Lance Tupper is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)

((lance.tupper@tr.com 1-646-279-6380))