Hershey Q3: sales up, profit falls

The Hershey Company announced sales and earnings for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012. Consolidated net sales were USD 1.747 bn compared with USD 1.624 bn for the third quarter of 2011. Reported net income for the third quarter of 2012 was USD 176.7 m or USD 0.77 per share-diluted, compared with USD 196.7 or USD 0.86 per share-diluted for the comparable period of 2011. “The Hershey Company delivered another good quarter of core brand growth driven by solid performance within key retail channels,” said John P. Bilbrey, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Hershey Company.

For the first nine months of 2012, consolidated net sales were USD 4.893 bn, compared with USD 4.514 bn for the first nine months of 2011. Reported net income for the first nine months of 2012 was USD 511.1 m, or USD 2.23 per share-diluted, compared with USD 486.8 m or USD 2.12 per share-diluted, for the first nine months of 2011.

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