HS

The Hershey Company stock research

Oct 1, 2023

FY2023 Q3

The Hershey (HSY) Gross Margin — Quarter Ended Oct 1, 2023

In the current quarter, revenue and gross profit increased compared to both the prior quarter and the same quarter last year, while cost of revenue also rose. Gross margin improved relative to the same quarter last year but experienced a slight decline from the prior quarter.

Gross margin takeaway

Quarter ended Oct 1, 2023 · FY2023 Q3

In the current quarter, revenue and gross profit increased compared to both the prior quarter and the same quarter last year, while cost of revenue also rose. Gross margin improved relative to the same quarter last year but experienced a slight decline from the prior quarter.

  • The most observable driver is the improvement in gross margin compared to the same quarter last year, as gross profit grew at a faster pace than revenue. However, the sequential decline from the prior quarter reflects a slightly faster increase in cost relative to revenue.
  • Compared to the prior quarter, gross margin was slightly lower despite higher revenue and gross profit. Relative to the same quarter one year ago, gross margin was higher as revenue and gross profit both grew while cost increased at a slower rate.

Gross margin snapshot

The selected quarter's reported revenue, gross profit, direct costs, and margin comparisons.

Gross margin

44.9%

Gross profit

$1.4B

Revenue

$3.0B

Cost of revenue

$1.7B

Quarter-over-quarter change

-0.6 pts

Year-over-year change

+4.3 pts

Quarterly gross margin trend

A four-quarter view of the revenue and direct-cost bridge behind gross margin.

PeriodRevenueGross profitCost of revenueGross margin
Apr 2, 2023$3.0B$1.4B$1.6B46.3%
Jul 2, 2023$2.5B$1.1B$1.4B45.5%
Oct 1, 2023$3.0B$1.4B$1.7B44.9%

Quarterly comparisons

Compare the selected margin with the preceding quarter and the same fiscal quarter one year earlier.

Previous-quarter change

Jul 2, 2023

-0.6 pts

Year-over-year change

Oct 2, 2022

+4.3 pts

What the margin says

Filing-constrained interpretation of margin direction, comparisons, and what to monitor next.

The most observable driver is the improvement in gross margin compared to the same quarter last year, as gross profit grew at a faster pace than revenue. However, the sequential decline from the prior quarter reflects a slightly faster increase in cost relative to revenue.

Compared to the prior quarter, gross margin was slightly lower despite higher revenue and gross profit. Relative to the same quarter one year ago, gross margin was higher as revenue and gross profit both grew while cost increased at a slower rate.

Monitor the trajectory of cost relative to revenue, particularly given the company's recent acquisition of manufacturing capacity.