The Hershey Company (HSY) reported results for the third quarter with earnings of 73 cents per share. Earnings were 6 cents above the Zacks Consensus Estimate and up 14.1% year over year. Profits were primarily driven by price increases and lower restructuring costs. However, net sales for the quarter were flat year-over-year, increasing 0.4% to $1.5 billion as favorable pricing was almost fully offset by volume declines associated with pricing elasticity, unfavorable foreign exchange and the decision to discontinue certain premium chocolate products. Management stated that core brands such as Kisses are responding to the investments in advertising (which was up approximately 50%), in-store programming and merchandising. In the channels measured by syndicated data, U.S. market share during the third quarter was flat while up 0.3 points year-to-date. Management also provided an update on the Global Supply Chain Transformation initiative. The company recognized total business ...

Hershey Co. (HSY) is seeing higher Zacks Consensus Estimates ahead of reporting later this month. The full-year earnings forecast of $2.07 per share was increased from $1.99 over the past 90 days.

Company Description

Hershey Co. is the largest producer of quality chocolate in North America and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery. Headquartered in Hershey, Pa., The Hershey Company has operations throughout the world and more than 12,000 employees. With revenues of more than $5 billion.

Bullish Forecasts

The company is seeing higher Zacks Consensus Estimates ahead of reporting later this month. The full-year earnings forecast of $2.07 per share was increased from $1.99 over the past 90 days.

For 2010, analysts polled by Zacks are calling for earnings of $2.23 per share, versus the 3 months-ago level of $2.11.

Third-quarter projections of 67 cents per share are up a penny over the past 3 months.

Results for the third quarter

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Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT), a leading manufacturer and marketer of packaged food products and grocery products worldwide, on Monday, September 7, 2009 has offered a takeover bid for Cadbury (CBY) at a purchase price of $16.2 billion (£10.2 billion). The offer price represents a 31% premium over the closing price on Friday, September 4, 2009. Thereafter, shares of Cadbury jumped 41%. However, Cadbury has rejected the offer, claiming that the total offer price of $16.2 billion (£10.2 billion) amounted to a significant undervaluation, as it expects to receive a bid for as much as $21 billion. The other major contenders for Cadbury are The Hershey Company (HMC), Kellogg’s (K) and PepsiCo (PEP). Kraft continues to pursue the takeover, as management at Kraft believes the deal (if successful) would create a company with annual revenues of approximately $50 billion. Also it would ...

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PennyOmega.com Stocks Upgraded, Downgraded and Short Highlights Before the Bell Tuesday August 4, 2009

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The Board of Directors of The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) today declared quarterly dividends of $0.2975 on the Common Stock and $0.2678 on the Class B Common Stock. The dividends are payable September 15, 2009, to stockholders of record August 25, 2009. It is the 319th consecutive regular dividend on the Common Stock and the 100th consecutive regular dividend on the Class B Common Stock.

Progress DataDirect, the data infrastructure division of Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS) and provider of premium, vendor-independent data access and integration

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Stocks highlighted in this article are: Panera Bread Company ( We've mentioned it here before, but it's worth saying again; nearly half of a stock's price movement is tied to the performance of its respective group (Sector and Industry).

By definition, a strong Sector or strong Industry will have more of its companies moving higher than a weak Sector or weak Industry, because by definition, a Sector or Industry is simply a group of similar stocks.

If the majority of stocks are going down in an industry, it can't be a strong industry. If more stocks are going up, it is a strong industry.

I've done some testing over the past and

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Highlighted stocks include Sempra Energy (SRE), Allegheny Energy, inc. (AYE), The Hershey Company (HSY), Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (ETP).Given where the bottom-up analyst forecasts are for the S&P 500 -- currently at about $62.50 for 2009 -- and the rate of decline of the forecasts, it seems likely that the eventual actual earnings for the S&P 500 will be about $50. This refers to operating earnings, excluding one time charges and gains.There will be far more charges than gains, so the level of reported earnings will be well south of $50. We will most likely see a bit of an economic recovery in 2010, but it will be anemic. As with 2009, the bottom-up forecast is both far too optimistic and falling fast. It currently stands at $78.34.  Based on a much longer time frame, ...

The Hershey Company (HSY) is the leading U.S. producer of confectionery products with a domestic market share of approximately 28%. Hershey is well known for chocolate products (Hershey's, Reese's and Kisses), where the company enjoys a domestic market share of approximately 45%.Product innovation is the key driver of Hershey's long-term success. The company has a pipeline of new products which will be introduced throughout 2009. Management is expanding into the international markets, focusing on Mexico, Brazil, Canada and Asia.The company maintains a sound financial position and has strong cash flow. Strong cash flow allows management to return value to shareholders in the form of share repurchases and dividends. In August 2007, the dividend was increased by 10.2% to $1.19 per share annually. In December 2006, the Board announced a $250 million share repurchase authorization, of which $100 million remains as of December 2008....

The Hershey Company, one of the largest chocolate makers in North America, has located its first Asian chocolate flagship store in the Peace Cinema, Shanghai. The new Shanghai Hershey's chocolate flagship store is also the company's first flagship store outside the United States. The front door of the Shanghai flagship store is designed into the shape of [...]

The Hershey Company, one of the largest chocolate makers in North American, has located its first Asian chocolate flagship store in the Peace Cinema, Shanghai. The new Shanghai Hershey's chocolate flagship store is also the company's first flagship store outside the United States. The front door of the Shanghai flagship store is designed into the shape of [...]

As the economy heads into recession there is a lot of talk about what industries and companies will be able to withstand the downturn. Stephanie Grimmett says chocolate and confectionery producer The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) is showing some resilience against the stock market slump. The stock seems to have already bottomed out, and the company is sticking to its growth and dividend targets.