Hershey's (HSY, $202.88) beats Q4 earnings expectations
The Hershey Company posted fourth-quarter results, with both earnings and revenue beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
The chocolate maker’s adjusted earnings for the quarter grew +13.4% from the year-ago quarter to $2.10 a share, surpassing Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.69.
Consolidated net sales climbed +6.4% year-over-year to $2,326.1 million, compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2,265 million. Organic net sales on constant-currency basis rose +4%.
North America Confectionery segment net sales rose +4.9% year over year to $1,982.4 million. Price realization contributed to 4.3 points of growth. Volume led to a 1.1-point headwind due to price elasticity and reduced shipping days. Acquisition of Lily's and foreign exchange added to net sales by 1.5 points and 0.2 points, respectively.
The North America Salty Snacks segment’s net sales increased +38.9% year-over-year to $158.7 million. Price realization contributed 15.9 points, and volume contributed 3.9 points. The acquisitions of Dot's and Pretzels contributed 19.1 points to sales.
International segment’s net sales rose +1.7% year-over-year to $185 million. On constant currency basis, net sales increased +2%. Price realization contributed 19.7 points to sales while volume lent a 17.7-point headwind.
The company projects net sales growth in the band of 8-10% for 2022. It expects adjusted earnings per share to increase 9-11%, and predicts reported earnings per share growth in the 7-10% range. For 2022, adjusted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $7.84-$7.98.
HSY's Indicator enters downward trend
The Aroon Indicator for HSY entered a downward trend on September 21, 2023. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor identified a pattern where the AroonDown red line was above 70 while the AroonUp green line was below 30 for three straight days. This could indicate a strong downward move is ahead for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options. A.I.dvisor looked at 114 similar instances where the Aroon Indicator formed such a pattern. In of the 114 cases the stock moved lower. This puts the odds of a downward move at .
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bearish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on September 21, 2023. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on HSY as a result. In of 80 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where HSY declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
Bullish Trend Analysis
The RSI Oscillator points to a transition from a downward trend to an upward trend -- in cases where HSY's RSI Oscillator exited the oversold zone, of 19 resulted in an increase in price. Tickeron's analysis proposes that the odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Stochastic Oscillator demonstrated that the ticker has stayed in the oversold zone for 1 day, which means it's wise to expect a price bounce in the near future.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for HSY just turned positive on August 25, 2023. Looking at past instances where HSY's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in of 52 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where HSY advanced for three days, in of 343 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
HSY may jump back above the lower band and head toward the middle band. Traders may consider buying the stock or exploring call options.
Fundamental Analysis (Ratings)
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating low risk on high returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 77, placing this stock better than average.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating very strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is fair valued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (11.403) is normal, around the industry mean (10.059). P/E Ratio (23.697) is within average values for comparable stocks, (36.858). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (2.629) is also within normal values, averaging (2.494). Dividend Yield (0.021) settles around the average of (0.045) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (3.908) is also within normal values, averaging (29.097).
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating fairly steady price growth. HSY’s price grows at a lower rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to worse than average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
Notable companies
Industry description
Market Cap
High and low price notable news
Volume
Fundamental Analysis Ratings
The average fundamental analysis ratings, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, are as follows
General Information
a manufacturer of chocolate, candy, chewing gum, non-confectionery products and snack foods
Industry FoodSpecialtyCandy
HSY and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, HSY has been loosely correlated with K. These tickers have moved in lockstep 61% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if HSY jumps, then K could also see price increases.