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Hershey (HSY) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know

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Hershey (HSY - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $185.74, demonstrating a -1.76% swing from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.41%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.36%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.45%.

Shares of the chocolate bar and candy maker have appreciated by 0.23% over the course of the past month, underperforming the Consumer Staples sector's gain of 1.98% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.91%.

Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Hershey in its upcoming release. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.98, reflecting a 1.98% decrease from the same quarter last year. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $2.74 billion, up 3.43% from the year-ago period.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $9.54 per share and revenue of $11.25 billion, which would represent changes of +11.97% and +8%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors should also pay attention to any latest changes in 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 company's business outlook.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.04% higher. As of now, Hershey holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Digging into valuation, Hershey currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 19.82. This represents a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 21.23.

Investors should also note that HSY has a PEG ratio of 2.34 right now. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. The Food - Confectionery industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 2.5 as of yesterday's close.

The Food - Confectionery industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 92, finds itself in the top 37% echelons of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions.


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