In the latest trading session, Hershey (HSY) closed at $162.91, marking a -1.21% move from the previous day. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.4%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a drop of 0.98%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.18%.
Shares of the chocolate bar and candy maker witnessed a loss of 3.23% over the previous month, trailing the performance of the Consumer Staples sector with its loss of 1.24%, and the S&P 500's gain of 4.97%.
Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Hershey in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to be unveiled on July 30, 2025. On that day, Hershey is projected to report earnings of $1 per share, which would represent a year-over-year decline of 21.26%. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $2.52 billion, up 21.35% from the year-ago period.
For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $5.88 per share and a revenue of $11.5 billion, demonstrating changes of -37.25% and +2.64%, respectively, from the preceding year.
It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for Hershey. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the business outlook.
Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.
The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 1.13% lower within the past month. Hershey is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).
Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Hershey has a Forward P/E ratio of 28.05 right now. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 22.77 for its industry.
Meanwhile, HSY's PEG ratio is currently 6.09. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. Food - Confectionery stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 4.5 based on yesterday's closing prices.
The Food - Confectionery industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 213, finds itself in the bottom 14% echelons of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Hershey Company (The) (HSY): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
Zacks Investment Research
