Hershey Co. Announces 18% Gain In Q1 Profit

(RTTNews) - Hershey Co. (HSY) reported a profit for its first quarter that increased from last year.

The company said its bottom line came in at $282.06 million, or $1.31 per share. This was higher than $238.89 million, or $1.10 per share, in last year's first quarter.

Analysts had expected the company to earn $1.25 per share, according figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company said revenue for the quarter rose 2.7% to $1.88 billion. This was up from $1.83 billion last year.

Hershey Co. earnings at a glance:

-Earnings (Q1): $282.06 Mln. vs. $238.89 Mln. last year. -Earnings Growth (Y-o-Y): 18.1% -EPS (Q1): $1.31 vs. $1.10 last year. -EPS Growth (Y-o-Y): 19.1% -Analysts Estimate: $1.25 -Revenue (Q1): $1.88 Bln vs. $1.83 Bln last year. -Revenue Change (Y-o-Y): 2.7%

-Guidance: Full year EPS guidance: $4.72 - $4.81