Hershey Co. Q4 Earnings Advance 5%

(RTTNews) - Hershey Co. (HSY) announced a profit for its fourth quarter that increased compared to the same period last year.

The company said its bottom line climbed to $249.66 million, or $1.17 per share. This was higher than $237.04 million, or $1.08 per share, in last year's fourth quarter.

Analysts had expected the company to earn $1.08 per share, according figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company said revenue for the quarter rose 3.1% to $1.97 billion. This was up from $1.91 billion last year.

Hershey Co. earnings at a glance:

-Earnings (Q4): $249.66 Mln. vs. $237.04 Mln. last year. -Earnings Growth (Y-o-Y): 5.3% -EPS (Q4): $1.17 vs. $1.08 last year. -EPS Growth (Y-o-Y): 8.3% -Analysts Estimate: $1.08 -Revenue (Q4): $1.97 Bln vs. $1.91 Bln last year. -Revenue Change (Y-o-Y): 3.1%