Hershey (HSY) closed at $194.75 in the latest trading session, marking a +2.21% move from the prior day. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.43%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.37%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 0.94%.
The chocolate bar and candy maker's shares have seen an increase of 4.7% over the last month, surpassing the Consumer Staples sector's gain of 4.16% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.89%.
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 February 5, 2026. The company is predicted to post an EPS of $1.4, indicating a 47.96% decline compared to the equivalent quarter last year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $2.99 billion, indicating a 3.62% upward movement from the same quarter last year.
For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $6.01 per share and revenue of $11.6 billion, which would represent changes of -35.86% and 0%, respectively, from the prior year.
Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Hershey. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability.
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 ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 1.44% rise in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Right now, Hershey possesses a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).
In the context of valuation, Hershey is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 27.17. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 18.41 for its industry.
The Food - Confectionery industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 1, this industry ranks in the top 1% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.
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
