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In the latest market close, Hershey (HSY) reached $185.68, with a +1.6% movement compared to the previous day. The stock outperformed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 1.02%. At the same time, the Dow added 1.09%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 1.18%.

The chocolate bar and candy maker's shares have seen a decrease of 4.12% over the last month, not keeping up with the Consumer Staples sector's loss of 2.18% and the S&P 500's gain of 4.44%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Hershey in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to go public on August 1, 2024. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.45, reflecting a 27.86% decrease from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $2.31 billion, down 7.09% from the year-ago period.

HSY's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $9.59 per share and revenue of $11.44 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of 0% and +2.43%, respectively.

It's also important for investors to be aware of any recent modifications to analyst estimates for Hershey. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company's business outlook.

Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has shifted 0.07% downward. Hershey is currently a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Hershey has a Forward P/E ratio of 19.05 right now. This valuation marks a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 19.4.

Also, we should mention that HSY has a PEG ratio of 4.09. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The average PEG ratio for the Food - Confectionery industry stood at 3.23 at the close of the market yesterday.

The Food - Confectionery industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 229, placing it within the bottom 10% of over 250 industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.

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